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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23172640">That Good May Come?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/1Astrum1/pseuds/1Astrum1'>1Astrum1</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars EU, Star Wars Legends</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Necessarily Dark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 14:26:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>30,114</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23172640</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/1Astrum1/pseuds/1Astrum1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Second Battle of Roche AU. What good may follow from necessary evil?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Han/Leia, Jacen/Tahiri, Jacen/Tenel Ka, More To Be Determined - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For what good may come?<br/>
And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”? —as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just. Romans 3:8</p><p>“Uncle Luke says a Jedi must never attack, only defend” “But Jacen, to be a good defender you must be willing to go on the attack” He blocked her strike again, and then countered, nearly splitting her shoulder in two. The cool breeze of Yavin IV circled around them, almost as palpable as the connection between the twins in the force. They may have had different interests, Jaina her piloting and machinery, and Jacen his love of animals, ecoystems, and truth be told all life, but they held an inseparable connection, where one was weak, the other reinforced, where one doubted, the other gave courage, where one was hurt, the other lent power to heal. The twin siblings spun around, in a dance of blades-one purple and one green…the bond they shared could never be destroyed. </p><p>The conference room was strewn with bodies, as the sound of residual blaster fire echoed throughout the complex, but for Jaina Solo, vision was not the most reliable of senses. Limbs, heads, and strung out burned bone was all she could see, all the blaster fire being indistinct lights whizzing above her head, as she tried to hold her head, split open with a gaping wound. Her brother was cutting down the remaining Mandalorians who attempted to flee ineffectually from the chamber,</p><p>“Sergeant Kevu, order your men to cut them off at the end of the tunnel, and seal off the ventilation hatches and waste disposal, I want all these Mandalorians dead and their bodies tagged.” “Yes sir”, and the senior stormtrooper moved his squadron down the dark halls to fulfill his commander’s order.</p><p>Blaster fire, erupted once again in the room, with Caedus’ men firing somewhere in the corner, “Its Luke Skywalker, fire!, fire!, fire!”, an officer bellowed at the top of his lungs, as several of the Moffs crouched on the other side of the room, firing with their hold out blasters and picked up rifles.</p><p>Jaina could sense her brother’s fear, his panic. As he turned side to side, and leapt to the corner, and she heard the clashing of blades, as she began to force herself to her feet, and ran hard to the extraction point, as she began to take her stride, her heart beat suddenly stopped. </p><p>“Kill her, my uncle isn’t here, it’s a force projection”, as dozens of stormtroopers turned their blasters on her back and let loose a torrent of super-heated red tinted plasma.</p><p>Jaina Solo now could only feel brother striding toward her, a malevolent snarl on his face, “Corporal Taran, clean this up and process all KIAs here”. </p><p>“The rest of you, out now”. The stormtroopers either carried off the dead and wounded or filed out of the bloodied wreck of a conference hall</p><p>Stepping over her, Caedus know knelt in front of her, and held his hand over her back, while lifting her chin on his knee. </p><p>“Cunning plan, you had me fooled for a moment, making me think I was fighting Luke, I do regret this sister but I have a war to win”, “We, I, loved you Jacen”. Life was fading, she would have been dead already, if Caedus was not keeping her alive, “I love you too, and I grieve your death, I wish, truly I wish it didn’t have to be this way, I don’t hate you, or mom or dad, or even Uncle Luke, fools and traitors that they are, but what I am doing is necessary. “Necessary!”, “For who!”, “Don’t you see, you’ve become a monster”, Jaina coughed as her lungs struggled to take in their last bursts of air. </p><p>“No sister, I am building a new galaxy, a garden where children will grow and play without war, without all this suffering and strife, and I intend to bring it into being, I am pruning all the weeds, so that flowers will bloom”, this Caedus said with absolute sincerity, and a small touch of tenderness, he kissed her split open forehead, tasting her blood on his mouth, “Your loss is a necessary loss, a sacrifice, on top of all the sacrifices I have made”.</p><p>“I’m so sorry, mom and dad, I am so so sorry, I failed, I wasn’t the Sword of the Jedi”, all her training, all her preparations, it had all been for not, and all the proclaimed Sword of the Jedi could see was darkness, except for a small light at the end, and with that, Jaina Solo breathed her last and died.<br/>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br/>“Keep the controls steady, and don’t let those Imperials get a lock on us”, Han shouted, as if Leia was on the other side of the ship, but in reality she was less than five feet away from him, sitting on her swivel chair trying desperately to keep the Millennium Falcon’s speed and torque constant, as they flew above the asteroids that made up the Roche system. </p><p>Han thrashed his hands on the trigger, blowing up one updated Tie Defender and blasting another Starhunter to atoms. Imperial Star Destroyers and Galactic Alliance fighter craft exchanged volleys with Daala’s Chimeara and her Maw Star Destroyers, with the flurry of turbolaser batteries, and screaming star fighters. Even as reinforcements of the anti Caedus coalition kept on coming, Leia felt no relief, no rise of hope or exhilaration one might normally expect when a battle seemed to be turning in one’s favor. All Leia could feel was the pounding of her own heart, and the low roar of the Falcon’s engine.</p><p>“Han, we need you here!”. A voice hammered from the comm, it was Corran Horn piloting his StealthX Fighter alongside a squadron of ten other Jedi Knights and Masters, “We need the Falcon’s firepower to get through the Relentless’ turret screen, “right on the way”, Han responded, his voice a mixture of chipper battle giddiness and deep seated anxiety. The Falcon began to turn and accelerate as Leia focused the Falcon’s side blasters on another GA X-Wing, destroying it with the press of a button. “Han!” Leia shouted, having gone to man the dorsal cannons on the port side of the Falcon, the ship shaking and turning with blaster fire, “keep them off of me!”, Han shouted as he moved to regroup with the Jedi squadron. </p><p>“Mom, Dad I failed”, like a bolder dropping on her chest, Leia could feel it, the weight crushing her alive. Jaina was dead. Her last child was dead. She had failed. Leia had failed, Han had failed, Luke had failed, they had all failed, and her children were dead! They were all dead! Leia began to cry, it was a battle her life was at risk, and she was crying! Tears turned to sobs, and she drove her head into the console, crying, “Leia!, Leia!” Han yelled, as he rushed from the pilot’s chair, “the battle has turned, Caedus’ forces are winning, we have to get out of here”. Leia turned her head to see her husband, and he knew. “Jaina is dead Han, Jace..Caedus killed her”. </p><p>At an earlier time, Han would have doubted, he would have asked, if she was sure, but having been married to and around Jedi for most of his life now, he understood not to question the inklings, insights, and information his family of Jedi gained from the force. “We uh, we uh uh we need to go, new base, new hide out” His face turned red as he held back the tears, and she threw herself into his shoulder, as the universe seemed to shatter all around them, as they carried each other back to the pilot’s chamber, their tears overflowing, Han pressed the lever, and the Falcon entered Hyperspace, as their universe had been utterly irrevocably shattered.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 2</p><p>His arm lay across from him on the table, cleaned of the spilled blood and disinfected thoroughly. It had been only a few days, by his last count since the Battle of Nickel One. Darth Caedus sat up, on his bed as the medical droid, named too-onebee-three, examined his stump. The wardroom in which he sat had only one patient, him. Across the hall of the Anakin Solo, Medical floor, other prisoners lay in their beds, some from the recent battle of Nickel One, GAG soldiers and stormtroopers, as well as a few prisoners-Mandalorians and Verpine, who were of course kept in more confined conditions and whose medical treatment, was both prelude, and part of the interrogation procedure. The droid had informed him his arm could be re-attached if he so desired, and not wishing a prosthetic Caedus had considered the option and had, with some internal debate agreed. However, he had decided, to forego the procedure for the moment, and return to Coruscant, Tahiri had informed him of Ben’s capture, both through a short signal in the force, and through a recorded holo transmission. “I doubt Tahiri, has the necessary patience and ruthlessness to get what I need out of the boy, and to prevent any kriff ups, I will go and deal with the problem myself.”</p><p>More concerning and demanding of reflection, was his sister’s attempt on his life, and her death. So much for the Sword of the Jedi prophecy, Caedus had chided to himself. He had been there, fourteen years ago when Luke Skywalker had apparently in some sort of induced trance, had declared her the Sword of the Jedi, a weapon against darkness, and protector of the weak. “You will know no rest, but you will bring rest to others”, Caedus recalled his uncle proclaiming. Didn’t Yoda always say, in motion the future was?” Strange, Caedus thought. I was fooled. Luke Skywalker cast his form over her, and his illusion trick in the auditorium nearly allowed her to escape. How much else, had Luke Skywalker done? Can I trust my visions? Has my mind been twisted to his purpose? I need to get to Coruscant now, I will be able to reassess the situation safely there and recover without risk of Jedi attack…at least for a while anyway. I miss her, Caedus thought. I grieve for her. She was my sister; we shared a great bond through the force. I need to grieve, I need to mourn her, so as not to lose touch, to lose sight again. I loved her, and I will suffer the pain of her loss, her sacrifice, my sacrifice. Getting up from his contemplation, Darth Caedus walked slowly and methodically to the door, more than a little disturbed by his previous line of thought. “My lord, I highly recommend you don’t leave the medical ward, I need to check for any risk of infections or dead tissue.</p><p>“Overridden” Caedus said sternly and impatiently, “I can take care of myself.” The medical droid backed away and bent its mechanical head, “As you command, my lord”.</p><p>The automatic door opened for him, and Caedus walked down the corridor, taking time to note the wounded men and women around him, on his left was an injured stormtrooper moaning constantly as medical droids tended to his burned and bleeding organs, to the poor man’s left was a GAG private, who was under sedation, Private Max Akiran, the young man had fought ably and valiantly during the Battle of Nickel One, out of the corner of his eye, Caedus recalled him killing at least three Mandalorians with his blaster rifle, and slaying another in a brawling melee with the Mandalorian’s own beskar knife. He had apparently sustained serious injuries in the process, peering through the curtain, Caedus observed cloth over his left eye, and a multiplicity of needles in his neck, torso, and all his limbs. His face was so purple, as to be almost black, and his stomach was cut wide open, with his sides thrashed terribly. I will have to give him a commendation, and a promotion I think, once this is all over. His bravery and self-sacrifice will serve as an example in my new empire. Walking further through the corridor, Caedus heard the cries of men and women, as medical droids rushed from room to room, many carrying medicines, or dispensing prescriptions, clanking on the hard-smooth floor as they did.</p><p>Making his way at last to the elevator, Caedus hit the button and the door opened promptly, and on the side of the door, Caedus typed in the code for the bridge level, and the elevator shot upwards, The moffs will no doubt, hew and cry as to children, given not a few of them are in body bags now. Cowardly men, for all their bluster and bravado, the Moffs were always keen to have someone else do the dying for them, they desired power, prestige, a revived empire, but they as a whole were not willing to fight for it themselves. Still…they were dangerous, and I can not risk any unexpected defections or last moment battle betrayals. </p><p>The elevator stopped, with a sudden thud, and he was on the bridge. The automatic durasteel enforced doors opened, and he stepped out with a reserved urgency, noticing the mods standing around the command consoles, and barking insults at the pilots sitting in their chairs.<br/>Moffs Lecersen, Jowar, Rosset, and Rezer turned around, and approached him as a unified front. Stepping in front of his colleagues, Lecerscen spoke,</p><p>“Lord Caedus, the fleet has sustained heavy damage, but repairs are nearly finished, Admiral Bwua’tu pulled off a master stroke, with his quick thinking and of course his firepower.” The implication of the praise was obvious, Lecerscen was implying Admiral Nek Bwua’tu not him, was responsible for the victory over the enemy at Nickel One. Caedus curled his lips and smiled,</p><p>“Admiral Bwua’tu has done a great service for the galactic alliance, his patriotism even in the face of homeworld’s treason is most commendable.” “As it stands, we have to focus on the future, the Jedi and their allies will strike again, and since we do not know their current location, we remain vulnerable so long as we remain here.” The moffs remained still, but for small flexing of their fingers and twirling eye lids, their gaze straight but arcing downward. “Lost your nerve?” Moff Rezer snarled. The contempt in the man’s voice obvious. Ignoring the provocation, Caedus continued “Coruscant is well fortified, we will lick our wounds there and assess the situation from a position of strength.” The Moffs seemed to dither momentarily, unsure whether to suck up to his word, or challenge his mettle. Finally, Lecerscen spoke.</p><p>“I concur, my Lord we need to return to safer territory.” Again, the implication obvious, and again, Caedus ignored the provocation. “The fleet will be ready to jump to hyperspace in less than five standard hours.”<br/>The trip back to the Jedi caravan at Shedu Maad was a silent one. Leia had cried all her tears for a week, into Han’s shoulder, into the dashboard. Into her bunk.</p><p>I lost her, I failed her. Why did I agree to let Luke send her on this damned mission? She had been so…confident, so willing to do what had been unthinkable, but what needed to be done. Han vacillated between a white-hot rage, having crushed at least three buttons on the Falcon’s board, marginal controls thankfully, and a deep silent sadness. His face red with impotent anger and wet with tears. It had been a silent trip, barring a few words, “please”, “thank you”, “Han”, “Leia”.</p><p>And now they were docked on the Loyal Dragon. A Hapan battle dragon with the Jedi coalition, loaned from Queen Mother Tenel Ka. The door of the falcon opened, with its characteristic sound of steam and pistons. Leia and Han walked off the falcon, holding each other. Hapan soldiers, Jedi knights, and other personnel looked in their direction, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and concern.</p><p>In the distance of the hangar, a figure ran in their direction…hard. </p><p>“Han, Leia!” Corran shouted, his face and beard flush with concern. </p><p>“Jaina, I felt her passing…” Corran said, Leia nodded, “I felt it, Caedus killed her” “She failed, Corran”. “I don’t know what will happen now.” Han turned to her, and said, “I know what’s going to happen, Luke is going to hunt down Jacen, he’s going to hunt him down and he’s going to make him pay, he’s going to send him to the nine hells, I should have sent him there myself the day he was born.”</p><p>Leia turned and whimpered a bit, she had heard similar harsh remarks from Han regarding their son before, but she could not bring up the will to say anything, even in agreement.</p><p>“The rest of the council sensed it as well, Grandmaster Skywalker has not left his meditation, he refuses food, or sleep.” “Do you want to see him?” “Yes.” Leia replied, firmly and simply. The three of them, then went to the elevator on the Loyal Dragon and hit the code to go to the bottom of the ship.</p><p>It was a quick trip, and the lower floor was more dimly lit, spacious with rooms separated by wide areas. And a communal area in the center. Kyp Durron greeted the trio when they left, “his expression was one of immense sadness, his hair was greying all the faster” Leia seemed to notice. He didn’t speak, but Leia could sense through the force he was barely holding himself together, he had forged a bond with her daughter in the darkest days of the Vong War, and had forestalled her descent into the dark side, “He must hurting deeply”, </p><p>“Master Skywalker has been informed of your arrival; he will be here soon”. Kyp left the three, and then Corran spoke, “I’m sorry I need to speak to Cilghal”, and excused himself, heading back to the elevator.</p><p>At the end of the hall, a figure in dark robes approached “Han, Leia I’m so sorry.” Luke said, he looked like he had aged a decade, and while he was hiding his emotions in the force, Leia could sense a maelstrom, deep despair, an iron resolve, and frighteningly, a nigh implacable hate, that made her very being chill. “Jaina died, Luke.” “She died on your orders”. “I know Leia, I know.” “I felt her death in the force, her pain, and her confusion.” “You sent all my children to die”, Han said, his fists stiffening, “you killed them all”, “Jacen and Anakin died above Myrkr, and Jaina died fighting the monster in Jacen’s body”. “All this Jedi business, what has it brought but disaster for my family!” Han was red hot furious now, and Leia had reacted quickly before he said something he regretted, “Han, you’re not thinking straight, go rest now”.</p><p>Leia said, infusing her voice with force enhanced persuasion. Stuttering for a moment, Han complied and left, turning chairs over in anger as he did. She didn’t like doing that, using the force to overpower her husband, but it had to be done, it had to be done. “Thank you, Leia”. Luke said relieved he did not have to face down an angry Han Solo. “Jaina fought him, I projected an illusion of myself over her, and it broke, Caedus knew he was fighting her, so I had to cast an illusion of myself elsewhere, so as to distract him”. “I hoped his fear of me, would allow her to escape…or strike a killing blow.” “Apparently Darth Caedus did not lose his nerve, like I had foreseen he would.” Luke gritted his teeth, and held back his obvious tears, “the fault lies with me, not Jaina”. “Was, was, she does not ready for this?” Luke remained silent for a moment, and then responded, “No I think was, Caedus proved less predictable than I had hoped.” “As you know, she had no hope of fighting him on her own, I couldn’t fool Caedus when it was most needed”. “I failed, not her.” Leia breathed in slowly and wiped her face “What will you do now”, she asked her voice forced with to be strong and not to quiver. “I will destroy Darth Caedus, one way or another”.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 3 Part One</p><p>Snarling blue eyes stared deep into his soul, as a green lightsaber ignited vibrating as its owner stroked the handle, he was afraid. There was no escape this time, no aid. His own lightsaber sprung to life and the room was filled with sparks and light. Then…silence. The snarling monster stepped on and kicked over his corpse, his eyes a golden yellow, burning hotter than a red star. He saw the monster sitting on a throne, with a woman and a man to his left and right. The monster’s eyes again looked at him. Two bodies lay sprawled on the ground, as security personnel stormed the ruined chamber, and worlds burned and burned and burned. He now stood triumphant over the snarling wild beast; its head cleanly sliced off as an unseen crowd roared somewhere outside. He saw eyes like his own, sad and righteous and then he saw no more. </p><p>“My Lord we are about to enter orbit over Coruscant.” A GAG corporal sounded over the Anakin Solo’s intercom system.</p><p>“Thank you for informing me.” Darth Caedus responded somewhat groggily.</p><p>As Caedus awoke from his light sleep. Looking at his sparse quarters, he pulled over the sheets and inhaled as he engaged in some routine stretches by the bed. Straightening his back while contorting his arms around his torso, and moving his legs behind his shoulders, he sighed audibly as the muscled popped and squeezed. There was a little pain, pain in his joints, pain in his severed arm, his legs tottered, and his body howled, howling for sleep, for more rest. Yet Darth Caedus had no intention of returning to bed, not today anyway.</p><p>Finishing his morning exercise routine, he put on his standard GAG uniform. Looking into the mirror, Caedus could see his own face, his eyes were sunken ever deeper into his head, and dark purple blotches had formed beneath them. He was not sleeping well. The visions of the past hours were only one example of how fate seemed to torment him in his sleep. One of the many burdens he had chosen to bear and comforts he had rejected and given up. He was so very tired, and had not recovered from the Battle of Roche, despite medical assistance and even a brief healing trance.</p><p>Clipping his lightsaber to his belt, and making himself presentable, he left his sparse quarters and walked across the dimly lit hallway to the hangar bay. He passed by GA soldiers and Galactic Alliance Guardsmen, who were on morning duty shift, the men bowing to him in silent deference.</p><p>Entering the hangar, Caedus observed a Lambda class shuttlecraft had been prepared for his arrival to Coruscant, the entry rampart flanked by two stormtroopers.</p><p>The pilot was silent, addressing him with a brief bow of his head, which was helmeted in Imperial fashion.</p><p>Soon I might be leading an army of stormtroopers alone. Caedus thought.</p><p>I must take care to ensure the Moffs do not become too entrenched in the Galactic Alliance, edging out GA soldiers, pilots, bureaucrats, and intelligence personnel. If they managed to insert their forces into my government, I would not be able to trust these men not to put a blaster bolt in my back as soon as the Moffs felt they could pull it off. With that said, I have resolved to treat them respectfully, not threaten them, not attack them, not overawe them. </p><p> </p><p>As the shuttle descended into the Coruscanti atmosphere, Darth Caedus observed the passing traffic, countless beings going about their business most of them oblivious to the war that was being waged for their future, their children’s future.</p><p>“Colonel Solo, you are cleared to land”.</p><p>A monotone voice sounded on the shuttle’s com frequency.</p><p>“Roger that.” Caedus responded.</p><p>The shuttle landed on the tarmac only a few moments later. With an audible squeak, the shuttle’s doors opened automatically as the Sith Lord walked down the ramp. To find Tahiri Veila in her GAG uniform waiting for him.</p><p>“I was wondering where you were, I heard you lost a leg.”.</p><p>Tahiri looked at his arm, and then at him, appraising, with an expression on her face somewhere between clinical curiosity and genuine concern.</p><p>“I did lose an appendage, so the rumors were not entirely false”. Caedus responded.</p><p>“Your sister?” Tahiri inquired.</p><p>“I was surprised when you told me Jaina had been sent after you, you had stated you felt with certainty, you had foreseen it was Luke who was coming for you.”</p><p>She seems perplexed. Caedus thought.</p><p>“It has come to my attention that my visions may have been…interfered with.” Caedus responded. Tahiri looked uncomfortable, and then noticeably less relaxed than she had only a second before.</p><p>“But we should not discuss this here, let’s go to my office.” Tahiri nodded and flanked by at least fifteen GAG guards, with regular coruscanti police speeders circling the sky above them, both Sith master and Sith apprentice went into the Galactic Alliance Senate building.</p><p>Reaching his office, Caedus dismissed the squad of guards behind him with a quick gesture, that was understood to mean “out now”.</p><p>The door closed behind them, as they entered his sparse office chambers, Caedus went over to the caf dispenser and with one hand, poured himself a small cup.</p><p>“What do you mean, interfered with?” Tahiri asked. “Is everything, you have foreseen a lie?”. Now she looked genuinely concerned, and her lip started to quiver. Her lack of resoluteness was…most troubling, now even after all the work he had put into making her a Sith Lady. </p><p>“No, I do not believe that.” Caedus responded. “Luke Skywalker has sought to distract, deflect and misdirect.” “He is afraid of me; he is afraid of the future I have foreseen.”</p><p>Tahiri still looked unconvinced, “But how can you be sure?” “How do you know; he hasn’t played you from the beginning?” She looked for reassurance, anything to not worsen her nagging doubts.</p><p>“To tell you the truth, I do not know”. Caedus said. A sober undertone in his voice.</p><p>“I believe he sought to distract from me from realizing it was Jaina, not him who had been sent to kill me.” Caedus walked over to his desk, and leaned against it, not without a casual stride.</p><p>“He cast an illusion over Jaina, he sought to convince me, I was fighting my uncle, not my sister.”</p><p>“You did not know your sister was coming after you?” Tahiri inquired. “How will you plan to not be fooled the next time?” If you would only listen, I would teach you. </p><p>“Luke has seen the same visions, I have.” Caedus put a hand on her shoulder “We fight, and regardless of who wins. The galaxy is transformed.” He wondered if he should be stern, or reassuring, with Tahiri it was almost impossible to know which method worked when.</p><p>“You don’t always win?” Tahiri asked again. “What happens when Luke wins?”</p><p>“Darkness”, “eternal darkness”. Jacen replied. “My uncle is powerful, in fact he is the most powerful Jedi who has ever lived, and perhaps will ever live. I do not have a guarantee of victory over Luke Skywalker, the force doesn’t make guarantees. Nor does the future.”</p><p>“I can sense his presence, I can feel him, even now a massive shadow, a blade hovering the neck of the galaxy.” Jacen put his hand on her face, and cupped her chin, “Tahiri, we will win, Luke Skywalker will not stand in the way of the galaxy we are making. He will not destroy my work. Our work.”</p><p>He looked deep into her eyes, and she melted completely into his confidence.</p><p>“One other thing my Lord” Tahiri spoke up, “Ben is in our custody, he is in a high security cell in the Galactic Alliance Justice building.” Tahiri spoke proudly, “I have not broken him yet, but he is wavering.”</p><p>“Excellent” Darth Caedus said, his voice soft and cold. “He will give us the current whereabouts of the Jedi caravan, and he has other intelligence that might be of value.” She was learning, and growing perhaps his concerns were not so founded? </p><p>“Do you wish to speak to him today?” Tahiri questioned. “Perhaps you might have better luck getting what we need out of him than I did.” Tahiri looked rather flabbergasted. ‘He is an unfortunately stubborn and strong-willed boy.”</p><p>“Even the strongest will break, Ben has yet to learn what pain, true pain, can teach him.” Caedus turned and glanced out the duraglass window, “I will visit our guest tomorrow.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 3 Part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was cold. So very cold. Either the heating system wasn’t working deep in the Galactic Alliance Justice Department’s headquarters, or the government was intentionally pumping cold air through the ventilation system. Ben suspected the latter was more likely. He had been in here now for over a week, or well at least he thought so. It does not help I do not have a blanket, or any sort of bedding at all.<br/>
Ben thought as he sat on his cot. He could hardly see anything, as there was not even a single light in his cell, and the small opening in the door was bereft of any entering light at all. </p><p>	The guards (or more likely a security droid) slipped small morsels of food and a cup of water through the door. He had not seen Tahiri in days, she had attempted to seduce him, to use his adolescent hormones against him in exchange for information. Ben had been so tempted, so willing to give in, and he found himself feeling pity for Tahiri, and desire.<br/>
She had lost a lot in the war, and Jacen had promised her something, anything to give her life direction again. Something to live for, after his cousin died.<br/>
Tahiri after failing to use his hormones against him, had instead tortured a friend instead, Lon Shevu to get him to give up the location of the Jedi Coalition’s current headquarters. Shevu had died, as Tahiri had used too much force lightening, a concentrated blast and killed him in front of Ben. Ben had attempted to escape but was himself blasted with the lightning and Tahiri had left enraged closing the door behind her. </p><p>The walls were made of solid duracrete reinforced with durasteel inside. At this level, no doubt there were sensors and electrical relays to detect any attempt at tunneling through the walls, ceiling, or floor. There was no doubt Tahiri had also placed Ysamiliri lizards somewhere in the halls. to prevent him using the force. Not that it mattered anyway, even if he did force blast his way out, hundreds of security personnel would be on top of him in seconds and he wouldn’t be able to fight them all and even if he did-Caedus no doubt had some protocol for blowing the building sky high or the GAG itself did.<br/>
How much longer am I going to be in here? If Jaina was to succeed and kill him, I would be let out surely? Caedus’s government would surrender and all political prisoners or espionage agents would be released. But wouldn’t there be some time in between? Days at least? I just do not know. Ben fretted to himself. Deep breaths, concentrate. Do not worry about what is out of your power.<br/>
Ben breathed in and took purposeful meditative breaths. </p><p>But what if Jaina had failed? What if she had been forced to flee? Or worse…killed or captured? No, Ben thought she had prepared for this, if the worst happened and she failed to kill him she would simply retreat and wait for another opportunity. After all, she only needed to succeed once.<br/>
Luke would come surely; his father had always been there. Always coming to save the day when he had been unable to save himself. Maybe now, Luke was on his way to Coruscant, and no amount of security measures or expert guards would stop him. </p><p>Ben could almost see his father blasting down the door, with that smile he always had and them leaving together cutting down Jacen’s foot soldiers as they went.<br/>
He has not come though. He will. He will.<br/>
Ben assured himself.</p><p>The holographic map of the galaxy was as large as a state dinner table, with the projector being 45 meters in length and 65 meters in width and rectangular in shape. Around the holoprojector stood Moffs, Senators, Galactic Alliance Admirals, as well as Director Girdun of GA intelligence. </p><p>“As you can see, Colonel Solo the Confederates are losing everywhere. The destruction of much of their fleet at Centerpoint and Roche has left them teetering. We hope some of the less steadfast members will start sending out peace feelers. With the loss of Centerpoint and our recent victories-the Corellians can no longer pretend to be heroically defying us and standing up against tyranny.”<br/>
Girdun paused before continuing.  </p><p>“Of course, we believe the Corellians and Bothans will fight to the bitter end and have no intention of surrender. But with Hutt support, limited as it is, wavering, and the surrender of Fondor, other members of the Confederation will have to decide if they want to go down with the Corellians or get the best terms now while they still can.”<br/>
“Thank You Director Girdun”.<br/>
Caedus responded, his eyes lingering over the man who wilted back at his gaze. “Your welcome, sir”.<br/>

“As you can see, my friends we are well on the road to victory with the support of our friends in the Empire and propelled by the momentum of our victories, we will break the Confederation and we will break its allies.” Caedus propounded, “the force is with us”.<br/>
Appealing to the Moffs’ vanity and vainglory was always a good way of keeping them subdued, as well as distracted, though over praising them was just as dangerous.<br/>
“With my sister’s failed assassination, we have more reason to believe my uncle is increasingly desperate, I know my former colleagues in the order will not wish to remain hostile to their government forever. And I believe we will achieve some results in neutralizing the Jedi coalition soon.”<br/>

Moff Lecerscen looked skeptical, “Do you mean there will be a split in the order’s ranks, or that we will be able to hunt them down and destroy them in one blow, Lord Caedus?” Turning his eyes to the man, Caedus responded,<br/>
“As it so happens, just both the defection and surrender of some of the order’s more…sensible members will allow us to destroy the remainder. Of course, any Jedi that surrenders who is not an apprentice will have to face a treason trial, and the consequences of their insurgency.”<br/>
“What of the Hapans? Do we have any news of their current disposition?”<br/>
Senator Maralan of Alsakan asked. “With the recent losses, we believe the Hapans will be less able to contribute to future military action against the Galactic Alliance.” Girdun responded,<br/>

“We do not believe the Hapan nobility is willing or able to execute a coup against the Queen Mother at this time, and our sources corroborate that Queen Mother Tenel Ka has solidified her position, with the failure of the pro Confederate plot last year, any nobles opposed to her or her stance likely are unwilling to risk punitive action for conspiring now, in a time of war, and we have had no success at contacting anyone of note on Hapes who might be interested in working with us.” That was an open wound, she had left me utterly alone. If I must kill her, I will. I don’t want to though, I... Regaining his immediate concentration,<br/>

“I know Tenel Ka, she is a warrior and a canny politician in her own right, she has likely disposed of any serious opposition in the court or bureaucracy.”<br/>
Sensing her presence in the force as she stepped into the chamber, Caedus looked around and announced,<br/>
“I believe this meeting is adjourned; we will reconvene in sixty standard hours.”<br/>
The throng of generals, senators, intelligence officers and Moffs exited through the two doors leading to the Galactic Alliance Senate building. </p><p>“Meeting go well.” Tahiri crossed her arms, her eyes dead set on him. “Well enough.” “There has been another disturbance in one of the camps.” Tahiri said.<br/>
“More, angry Corellians and Bothans attacking guards, nothing that couldn’t be handled by some electrostaffs and wild blaster fire in the air.”<br/>
“It doesn’t matter, we have the facility closed off and heavily guarded, there is no risk of the prisoners escaping.” </p><p>She needs to stop over concerning himself with these small situations. It isn’t good for her development into a proper Sith Lady”.<br/>
“If you say so…Lord Caedus”. Tahiri responded. Walking beside her, they left the situation room and walked through the halls, outside and watched the Coruscanti skylines, as they got into Caedus’ personal speeder craft and headed for his apartment just a few blocs away. Today has been productive. Caedus mused, with a full day of speaking to Senators, analyzing the strategic situation, and sparring with Tahiri. Who had herself spent the day, studying Sith holocrons and dusty tomes, practicing her Huttese with a protocol droid, sparring with him, and monitoring public events on Coruscant and its star system. </p><p>“What do you plan on doing with Ben tomorrow?” Tahiri asked,<br/>
“I plan on getting the location of the secret Jedi base. I plan on teaching him, teaching him to embrace the hopeless void.” “Do you me to be there, after I failed my Lord.”<br/>
Tahiri asked, her tone clearly docile and whimpering.<br/>
“Yes, I do. Its clear your training in interrogation needs more live experience. I am displeased with your failure, Tahiri, but I am not angry with you, we learn from our mistakes, that is why the force lets us make them.”</p><p>Going to his apartment, they entered the sparse living room, and went to take showers. Two hours later, Tahiri lay asleep next to him. An hour had been spent showering and eating dinner, and another hour had been in bed, before Tahiri dozed off tired. Jacen himself began to sleep, only to see what appeared to be hateful eyes looking at him on the other side of the room before they vanished. </p><p>Not today.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“The faint sun of Coruscant shone through the apartment window, he looked outside to see all the passing speeders, countless beings going about their mundane business, to work, to school, to home. </p><p>“Farm boy is finally up.” </p><p>Luke rubbed his hand over his forehead, as he looked his wife in the eye.</p><p>Her eyes were emerald green, and her lips perfectly smooth, as she smirked, “I made a pitcher of caf”. </p><p>For both of us, pouring him a glass. “You usually don’t cook.” “I didn’t.” Mara replied, sitting down with him on the couch.</p><p>“No trouble though.” Mara said. </p><p>“Just thought you’d like the stimulant, after last night.” Luke sighed, then chucked a little. </p><p>“Thought your heart was going to burst”. </p><p>“Almost”.</p><p>“I knew it would be worth your while.” </p><p>Luke laughed, as he put his hand on her knee, and she put her arm around his shoulder. “So, when do you want to go the temple today.”</p><p>Luke looked at the chromometer, “Maybe in an hour or so, as Grandmaster I don’t have to show up on time. Just you.” </p><p>Mara bit his ear in response and did not respond. “You going to wake Ben up?” Luke asked, his senses coming to him with a little bit of the force and a lot of the caf to thank.</p><p>“No, I’ll let him sleep in another hour, boys his age need their morning sleep.” </p><p>“I didn’t get to sleep in, I had to be up straight at dawn, checking on the moisture vaparotor.” “You were in the middle of nowhere, he is in an oversized, undersupplied apartment.” </p><p>Mara said. “True.” “Training with Jacen was very hard on him.”. </p><p>“I hope Jacen kept in mind that Ben is thirteen.” “Were you any less hard on him, and besides Jacen is an excellent judge of limitation. I know Ben is in good hands with him.”</p><p>Luke looked away, he had not liked Jacen as Ben’s tutor, it wasn’t that he didn’t see Jacen as capable, it was just…Luke couldn’t be sure Jacen wasn’t keeping them in the dark in some way, or that Jacen’s…different ideas on things might be influencing Ben. </p><p>“At the moment, Jacen is with that new trainee, isn’t he?” Mara asked. “Nelani Dinn, she’s from Lorrd, I’ve observed a few times, she has the making of a fine swordswoman one day. An Ataru natural.”</p><p>“I think she is taken a liking to him, I only observed them sparring once or twice, but I see the look in her eyes.” She has a crush on him, I can sense it.” Yet Jacen does not seem to notice at all.”</p><p>“Or he’s just pretending not to.” He has become quite good at concealing what he thinks, and what he feels in the past few years.” </p><p>“Who knows, maybe he’ll replace you as Grand Master one day.” Mara said cavalierly. </p><p>“I wouldn’t mind, we may disagree on things, but if he did, I know he would be an excellent Grand Master.” Luke said in response. </p><p>“I didn’t see Jaina though yesterday, she said she would stop by.” Mara looked at him, as if he were the biggest idiot in the galaxy, while smiling at the same time, “She’s probably out with another boyfriend, some celebrity, partier and playboy.” </p><p>“The whole day?”. </p><p>“Oh Luke, she’s a grown woman, let her have her fun. She isn’t abrogating her responsibilities.” Luke sighed in response, “I know, I know.”. </p><p>Looking down at his chromometer, “Oh its ten hundred hours already. I need to get ready to head to the temple.” </p><p>Giving his wife a quick kiss, he got up from their sofa and headed to the turboshower down the hall out from the living room. </p><p>“I’ll be right behind you farmboy”. </p><p>His wife shouted, as he turned around, and saw her frozen on the sofa, her smile, as warm and mischievous as ever. Then the room shook, and he heard a large buzzing noise, and the universe faded into mist…</p><p>The bed he was sleeping in was empty, no Mara just a small pillow and a blanket. The ship’s buzzer was going off. It was 0700 hours. He had not slept in nearly a month, spending hours and hours in meditation, followed by countless council sessions, and plotting. Endless plotting. He had come so close to getting the advantage over Jacen to ending his worthless life on that asteroid.</p><p>“Another failure, they seem to be piling on my record now.” </p><p>“Today, though was another day”. </p><p>He got dressed quickly and did not bother with washing up, having taken a quick shower the previous night, before getting in six hours of sleep.</p><p>Pressing the button, the door slid open on its own and facing him was a woman in a dark blue uniform, with red and white pips on her collar.</p><p>“Master Skywalker, the Jedi council is already in session, and they sent me to get you.”</p><p>Luke’s eyes narrowed as he observed her uniform, her black hair neatly cropped and presentable in her hat. She outstretched a hand, and he took it.</p><p>“Lieutenant Serra Gedrell, military intelligence of the Queen Mother’s Royal Navy.” “Pleased to meet you sir.”</p><p>“I wasn’t aware Tenel Ka had Hapan intelligence attaches with the council.”</p><p>Walking down the hall and up to the elevator, with the woman a pace behind him. Gedrell responded, “I’m a liaison between the Hapan military and the Jedi coalition, I report directly to the Queen mother on what the Jedi Council has decided.” She responded with a neutral tone.</p><p>“The queen felt that greater coordination between the Jedi and the Hapan military would serve to prevent further mistakes in the current conflict”.</p><p>Sighing softly, Luke repressed his irritation, “Why didn’t Tenel Ka just ask, we would have told her anything she needed to know.” </p><p>Turning back to her, “Thank you, and I hope that we can coordinate our efforts further to bring a quick end to the war.” She perked up a bit in response, just a slight wink in the eye.</p><p>“Good then.”</p><p>The elevator stopped, and on the first door ahead, was the small lounge area that was normally used for Hapan officers on break. The door opened automatically, and there in a rough circle stood the Jedi masters, his long-time colleagues, and friends. Gedrell moved over to a corner of the room, with what appeared to be a datapad in her hands.</p><p>“I apologize for being late this morning, as you know I haven’t been sleeping very well, truth be told I haven’t been sleeping much at all.” The masters nodded their heads. Kyp gave a slight nod, Corran muttered something under his breath, Kyle was unreactive, and Saba hissed something unintelligible.</p><p>Corran Horn spoke up, “No worries, Master Skywalker we had not even started.”</p><p>“Thank you Corran”.</p><p>Luke brushed aside a strand of his hair, deepened his voice, and then spoke,</p><p>“Jacen has returned to Coruscant, and Ben is still in captivity.”</p><p>The masters murmured amongst each other, Gedrell was absorbed in her datapad, likely recording every expression in the room, and Han clinched and unclinched his fists, as Leia now a fully fledged Jedi knight herself, looked at Han, Saba, him, and then back to Han.</p><p>“Jacen is holed up in the Galactic Alliance Senate building, and at least three fleets, two alliance and one imperial are in the Coruscant system.”</p><p>“You all know I had not planned for this to happen, but I was wrong. I thought I could deceive him long enough, for Jaina to end him.” The assembled masters did not flinch, nor complain, or shout, they had far too much respect for him to hold mistakes, even grave mistakes against him. Through the force, Luke sensed they were not even angry, merely dejected and despairing.</p><p>“As the one who sent her, Jaina’s death is on my hands.”</p><p>Luke said solemnly, it felt as if a heavy weight bore on his chest and shoulders, a burden that could not be lifted, or even ignored.</p><p>“She was ready, I know she was, there was no doubt. I had seen her victorious.” </p><p>“So, what’s our next move?” Corran asked, his arms crossed around his chest and his tone sour.</p><p>“The Galactic Alliance, Jacen they are winning the war.” “We can’t win every battle; we can’t support our allies everywhere they are.” “We need to act now before the Confederation is defeated, if the Corellians and their partners sue for peace, if the Confederation breaks down, it will just be us, the Hapans, and Niathal’s fleet of renegades.” Corran concluded, his expression burning with barely concealed frustration.</p><p>Hamner spoke up in response.</p><p>“Master Horn, in war not every operation succeeds, sometimes they fail the first time.” “Master Skywalker’s strategy was and is fundamentally sound, cut off the head of the Dianoga and the body dies.” “Killing Jacen will bring the Galactic Alliance to terms.”</p><p>“Master Hamner izzz rightsss, cuts of the head and the prey dropsss dead.” Saba intoned.</p><p>“We will jusst have to continue the huntss”.</p><p>Luke considered it for a moment,</p><p>“The strategy is sound, its just a lot harder.” </p><p>“Thank you, Master Sabatyne, and thank you Master Hamner, yes that is still our primary objective, deal with Jacen and we can end the war.” Sighing, Luke sat on the main couch, while the rest of the council remained standing.</p><p>“The problem is, we cannot reach Jacen as easily now, he has thousands of soldiers and ships surrounding him, and more than that, he has my son.”</p><p>“Master Skywalker, surely it would be no issue for a small team to infiltrate the planet and kill him.”</p><p>Kyp said, his old youthful energy shining through, even as the man’s hair got greyer every year.</p><p>“Master Katarn and I, as well as perhaps Master Sabatyne could infiltrate Coruscant in a matter of days and engage Caedus by the end of this week, probably sooner.” Kyp said earnestly, with burning eyes.</p><p>“No”.</p><p>Luke responded quietly.</p><p>“You aren’t strong enough, none of you are.”</p><p>“I will have to kill Jacen Solo.” “But not, not right now.” “I have seen the future, I know he has seen it too, if I kill him, I will fall.” “I know if I meet him, I will succumb to my anger.” “I won’t be able to say true to the code.”</p><p>The masters were silent, and none of them gave an objection.</p><p>“Other than that, Ben will likely die if Caedus senses me coming.”</p><p>He whispered.</p><p>“I have lost a wife, and a niece, I can not bare to lose a son.”</p><p>“But I promise, I will not let Jacen win, we will harass his fleets, assassinate his lieutenants, and rally the galaxy against him.”</p><p>Luke’s voice was now surging like the roaring waves in the Kaminoan ocean.</p><p>“I will see him defeated, and I will see him dead, even if I must spend the rest of my life trying.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>7. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>No food. No water, and the cold air was pumping at higher volumes, especially whenever he tried to sleep.</p><p>Ben had lost track of time. He did not know if it had been a week or two weeks, a month, or ten days. He could not sense anything in the force, well anything outside of fifteen-meter radius, he knew there were no other prisoners, at least in this dimly lit corner of the hallway. Ben wondered, maybe all the other prisoners were removed from this cell block.</p><p>It wasn’t impossible, maybe Jacen was dead and they had all been released? If that was the case, then why wasn’t he free yet? There was no way he could have been left forgotten in the bottom floor of the Justice Department’s Headquarters. </p><p>There was no chrono, or any light from the outside, so Ben had no way of knowing what time of day it was. Nor even any prison intercoms or sirens to make note of passing days. In the past 48 hours, he had been simultaneously blasted with cold air that caused him to curl up to keep warm, so much his teeth had chattered and he had felt his skin beginning to dry out, and then hot air so hot it felt like he was in a furnace, scalding his skin as he desperately tried to protect his eyes and use the force to keep his body temperature from rising too high. Of course, this never killed him, whoever was doing this, knew to keep it at short intervals, no more than five minutes subjected to blistering heat or freezing cold.</p><p>He had not slept either, whenever he had tried, he could hear a loud clanging noise, the sound of metal bashing against metal, interspersed with a low humming buzz.</p><p>Tahiri was doing this. Ben surmised.</p><p>It was an easier form of torture.</p><p>One she likely had more stomach for and did not require her to be in his cell. It didn’t matter though. </p><p>He did not know why, maybe she was dead. Maybe she had been captured, maybe she was off Coruscant, doing Jacen’s dirty work. Then again, she was responsible for my interrogation. Was she being punished? Or did Jacen re-assign her? I wish I knew. I just want contact with somebody. Even her. </p><p>Ben forced back a sigh, whatever time it was, he had been up far longer than he would have been if were not a high value detainee. So, laying down on his bed, he worked to go to sleep.</p><p>“There is no emotion, there is peace.</p><p>There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.</p><p>There is no passion, there is serenity.</p><p>There is no chaos, there is harmony.</p><p>There is no death, there is the Force.”</p><p> </p><p>“Through the mastering of emotion I gain peace”, “Through the pursuit of knowledge I conquer ignorance”, “Through the discipline of passion, I reach serenity”, “Through the purging of chaos, I find harmony”, “Through death, I am one with the force”. </p><p> </p><p>He recited this mantra, taught to him by his father again and again until he final fell asleep.<br/>
“Wake up!”</p><p>“What?”, “No!” Ben responded as he saw a blaring white light directly above him.</p><p>“Its blinding, was it, was it some sort of interrogation?” </p><p>Ben felt a jolt of energy, and his eyes opened and then squinted to adjust to the light. He saw two GAG soldiers standing over him. They were holding blaster rifles and were in standard uniform, with helmets and visors, Ben could not see their faces, but through the force he could sense their indifference to him and dedication to carrying out their duty.</p><p>Before he could speak, one of the soldiers turned the butt of his blaster rifle over his shoulder, and in less than a second, struck him and Ben lost consciousness again…</p><p>He could feel his legs scraping against the floor, as they each held his elbows up to the shoulder. They spoke but he could not hear what they were saying, as he faded in and out of a coma…or sleep. </p><p>They were on an elevator now, is it, is going down? The beeping blaring noise was indistinguishable from the muffled voices of the two soldiers, it accelerated, then decelerated…then he was in another hallway, that was even more dimly lit than the one before. Or perhaps his mind couldn’t make the difference? </p><p>“How much, how much time had passed?” “Had it been thirty minutes, or an hour?” </p><p>There was another door, larger than the ones before. “Or no, it was two doors” which opened to the soldiers.</p><p>He was sat on a chair, facing a long smooth table. </p><p>“Your relieved, sergeants.” It was Jacen’s voice. </p><p>Above his head, there was a large circular room light, that blasted a searing light in his face. Ben moved his hands to cover his eyes.</p><p>“Good morning, Ben”. Jacen said in a swaggering, voice. Through his squinting hurting eyes, Ben could see a wide smirk on his cousin’s face.</p><p>“What, what time is it?” Ben forced himself to ask. Jacen’s lips curved upward.</p><p>“Its 0400 hours local Coruscanti time”.</p><p>Jacen responded, “I know the guards treated you a bit too roughly, I’ll have words with them later.”</p><p>Somehow Ben doubted it.</p><p>“I don’t know anything.” Ben said, in a rote monotone voice.</p><p>Composure, you must keep your composure. </p><p>Jacen waved his hand in the hair dismissively.</p><p>“No need to worry about that Ben”.</p><p>“You look sleepy, I know its early in the morning, so I brought caf for you.”</p><p>A slit in the tale opened up, and raised up on the platform was a cup of caf, Ben took it and drank it eagerly, as hot as it was, it burned his tongue but that dowsed his sleepiness.</p><p>Ben breathed in the smell, as he wiped his eyes of the mucus of sleep in his eyes.</p><p>Jacen looked taciturn, but resolutely interested his eyes never leaving him.</p><p>“What do you want with me Jacen?”</p><p>“I don’t know anything about where my father is, or where the Jedi are.”</p><p>“Leaving the transitory mists, according to my last intelligence reports.”</p><p>“Then what do you want me for?”</p><p>What could he want, if he already knew anything, I might have told him? </p><p>“I think you deserve to know what I know Ben”.</p><p>Jacen stood up and strolled over to where he was sitting.</p><p>“You see, your father has abandoned you and has no intention of coming to your rescue.”</p><p>Jacen looked at him with pity.</p><p>“I’m sorry Ben.”</p><p>Jacen put his hand on Ben’s shoulder, and now Ben saw his other arm was missing.</p><p>“No!” Ben shouted.</p><p>This was a lie, Jacen lied, don’t believe his lies. </p><p>“You see Ben, Jaina is dead.”</p><p>No, no, no. </p><p>“As I am sure you know, she was sent by your father to assassinate me.” Jacen looked unmoved, but with a touch of sadness, touched the table as he paced back to where he had originally sat.</p><p>“She died in the attempt.”</p><p>“Shame she didn’t gut you like you deserved.”</p><p>Jacen snickered and guffawed, “perhaps that is what I deserve, but Ben the universe is not so kind.”</p><p>“I would have hoped you learned that.”</p><p>“She tried to kill me when I was tending to the wounds of a soldier under my command.”</p><p>“I dodged her blow, and she cut that poor man from collar bone to midsection.”</p><p>“A violation of the Jedi code, and the laws of war.”</p><p>Jacen paced around the room. He looked away from Ben and gazed at the wall.</p><p>“l lost my arm in the process.”</p><p>“A squad of GAG and imperials arrived and shot her in the back.”</p><p>Jacen looked to be in tears, in the shadows from what Ben could tell.</p><p>“I tried to save her, but the damage to her internal organs was too great.”</p><p>“I used the force to keep her alive, she was screaming and in agony.”</p><p>“I brought her to my personal chambers, and I tried to preserve her life long enough for her to be put in a bacta tank.”</p><p>Jacen paced back to him and sat on the table, his legs leaning off the side.</p><p>“I held her hand as she died, I couldn’t do much else except dull her pain.”</p><p>Jacen looked down at the floor and back up at him.</p><p>“And do you know what Jaina did Ben?”</p><p>Hopefully, she cursed your existence. </p><p>“She died accepting she was wrong.”</p><p>“Your lying, she was the sword of the Jedi, she would never have defected!”</p><p>Jacen’s brown eyes looked at him with a soft mirth.</p><p>“When did I say she defected Ben?”</p><p>“Except in her heart that is.”</p><p>“She realized Luke had sent her to murder her brother, the brother she had no hope to defeat except through his cunning and the lending of his power.”</p><p>“Did you know Luke had no contingency for her death?”</p><p>“I could see it in her eyes, the sheer shock at the realization she had been used like a dejarik piece and cast aside.”</p><p>“She was trying to kill you and end the war.”</p><p>Jacen sighed.</p><p>“That’s your father speaking Ben, you have your own mind, and more importantly your own feelings.”</p><p>Jacen scooted closer to him.</p><p>“Why did he send her when he could have faced me himself?”</p><p>Uhh, I, uh I don’t know how to respond to this. </p><p>“He, he didn’t want to risk falling to the dark side.”</p><p>Ben spoke suddenly.</p><p>I should never have admitted that. </p><p>“Is that his reason?”</p><p>Jacen began to laugh.</p><p>“Luke Skywalker, Jedi Grandmaster, the hero who defeated the Empire and led the galaxy, fear of falling?”</p><p>“Ben, Ben your father isn’t afraid of walking into the dark.”</p><p>“He already has.”</p><p>Ben spat on the table.</p><p>“That’s bantha poodo, your lying Jacen, I won’t hear your lies.”</p><p>“Think Ben!”</p><p>“Why did he send you to Coruscant?”</p><p>“He, he sent me to contact Shevu”.</p><p>“That is what he told you.”</p><p>“If that was his reason Ben your father would be a fool, sending his son to contact a mole. Exposing both you and the mole to the risk of capture.”</p><p>“He sent you to distract Tahiri and myself.”</p><p>Jacen looked at him as though he were the slowest child in a classroom.</p><p>“He knew you would be captured, and he knew that Shevu would die for his treason.”</p><p>Jacen hopped off the table and walked to his side.</p><p>“Your father foresaw it.”</p><p>Jacen continued, “He had hoped that Jaina would have killed me in the time you were captured.” “</p><p>“Or barring that, you would escape and make trouble that would endanger Tahiri.”</p><p>“He bet all his credits on Jaina killing me”.</p><p>Jacen was speaking much with far greater intensity now.</p><p>“He plotted, and schemed, and willfully threw away lives that he did not have to throw away.”</p><p>“Every Mandalorian who died at Roche died because of him.”</p><p>“He wanted to end the war, he wanted to defeat you!”</p><p>Ben shouted.</p><p>“Defeat me?”</p><p>“No, destroy me.”</p><p>“Don’t you realize Ben, your father considered you a disposable price to pay in his crusade for vengeance.”</p><p>Ben was burning on the inside.</p><p>He was lying, he had to be! Luke would never throw him away in the pursuit of a vendetta.</p><p>“But that is what he did Ben!”</p><p>Jacen got within a meter of his face, eye to eye.</p><p>“He treated you as another pawn, in his pursuit of vengeance.”</p><p>“He threw your cousin’s life away, he threw countless Mandalorians’ lives away.”</p><p>Ben was sweating profusely now.</p><p>He had to be lying, he had to be! </p><p>“It has been nearly two weeks since Jaina died in my arms, Ben” Jacen said with a sorrowful matter-of-factness.</p><p>“There has been no attempt to rescue you, and there won’t be.”</p><p>“One just hasn’t been sent yet.” Ben said defiantly in response.</p><p>“No Ben, there won’t be.” Jacen said his eyes burning deep into Ben’s own.</p><p>“I have proof”.</p><p>With a flick of his hand, Jacen pulled out a small device.</p><p>A recorder. </p><p>“Master Skywalker, we could be on Coruscant in a week, we could get him.”</p><p>“No”.</p><p>Ben could hear his father’s voice on the recorder.</p><p>No, no, no. It can’t be true. </p><p>Jacen looked at him with the kindness and tenderness Ben remembered, back when he had been so afraid of the force, so afraid to open himself.</p><p>“Masters Katarn and Durron advocated rescuing you, and Luke turned them down.”</p><p>“It’s a lie!” Ben shouted.</p><p>“You faked this.”</p><p>“Search your feelings Ben, you know I have not deceived you.”</p><p>Jacen moved over to him and gently hugged him with his single arm. Ben would have tried to blast Jacen with all the power in the force had, but he was silent, his hands on his knees.</p><p>There hadn’t been a rescue, why hadn’t there been? Why did Luke not fight Caedus himself, he’s more powerful, he would have won? Why did he send him to Coruscant and allow him to be captured? Jacen had said nothing that was demonstrably false, in fact he gained nothing from telling anything he had here.</p><p>“If, if your telling the truth, what do you want with me?” Ben asked meekly.</p><p>“You’re a prisoner of war, Ben I want nothing of you.”</p><p>“I am however obligated by my oath of office, and my love of life even the lives of traitors to treat you decently and with the bare respect you deserve.” Jacen walked towards the door in a slow saunter.</p><p>“I can promise you no more than that.”</p><p>“Anything else would be a lie.”</p><p>Smiling as he opened the door.</p><p>“Everything I tell you is the truth; you will find no lies in me”.</p><p>Ben sat alone, his face in his arms on the table.</p><p>It was cold, but he didn’t care, he barely felt it at all. He didn’t feel anything at all.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>8. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 6</p><p>“Did you pay attention Tahiri?” They both looked through the one-way window to see a broken boy who was holding his head in his hands. Tahiri could see the tears dripping down from his fingers.</p><p>“You didn’t touch him, and you broke him”. Tahiri looked at her master inquisitively as Caedus’ deep brown eyes looked back into her own.</p><p>“There was no need, I simply told him the truth.” Caedus responded as they left the observation room adjacent to the cell.</p><p>“Most of what you told him were lies.” Tahiri responded.</p><p>“The lies I used, served the truth I wished to tell.” “The truth I wanted him to believe.”</p><p>Her master responded as the elevator door opened for them both.</p><p>“But what if that truth is false?” Tahiri responded.</p><p>“What if Luke does plan on coming for his son?”</p><p>Caedus pressed the button on the door as the elevator accelerated.</p><p>“I know he will not.” Caedus stated in a blunt matter of fact tone.</p><p>“I have seen him through the force, he sits alone to plot.”</p><p>The elevator continued ascending.</p><p>“He fears falling into the dark, far more than he loves his son or he hates me”.</p><p>“That is the greater truth your lies served then?”</p><p>“Precisely!” Caedus flickered a small grin, and for a brief second, Tahiri remembered what he had been a universe ago.</p><p>“I used those lies to break Ben’s will.”</p><p>“A will which was upheld only by his faith in his father”. Caedus put an arm on her shoulder.</p><p>“Tahiri, a good interrogator does not need to use crude violence to break a suspect, they merely need to break the suspect’s resolve, and cut off what threads they cling too.”</p><p>I’ll need to practice how do to that. </p><p>“What do you plan on doing with Ben now?” Tahiri asked, as they walked out of the elevator to the ground floor level of the Galactic Justice Department Headquarters.</p><p>“He is good leverage to use against Grand Master Skywalker.” Caedus responded coolly.</p><p>“Bargaining?” Tahiri asked?</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“He has his uses.”</p><p>Do you plan on replacing me with him, and if not, what game are you playing? </p><p>Seemingly sensing her thoughts, Caedus’s lips curled in an expression somewhere between pleasure and disappointment.</p><p>“I have a meeting with my staff and cabinet, I need to confer with the Imperials on fleet deployments and the logistical support of our forces in the mid rim.”</p><p>“What do you want me to do master?” Tahiri asked.</p><p>“For the moment, you are in charge of the GAG while I deal with strategic concerns.”</p><p>“You know where my office is, and my staff will do whatever you need them to do.”</p><p>That doesn’t tell me what my orders are. </p><p>“Yes my lord, but forgive my lack of understanding.” Tahiri exhaled.</p><p>“What is it you wish me to do, as your apprentice.”</p><p>“I want you to learn how to manage the guard and from that, the government.” Caedus responded.</p><p>“To meet the men and women who are fighting for the future we see, both the soldiers and the bureaucrats in their desks.”</p><p>Is this a punishment? </p><p>“That doesn’t seem very Sith like, I didn’t think becoming your apprentice meant I would be a glorified government employee.”</p><p>Caedus couldn’t help but laugh.</p><p>“Tahiri that’s exactly what you are.”</p><p>“As you wish master.”</p><p>Tahiri began to walk back to the elevator, to her master’s office.</p><p>“Tahiri, do not backtalk my orders again. That is my only warning.”</p><p>What would you without me? You would be alone, with no one to carry out your orders or secure your legacy. </p><p>Caedus walked in a slow swaggering pace towards the front door of the building, he likely had a ship already waiting for him to take him to the Galactic Alliance Senate building. He did not so much as move the corner of his eye to look at her.</p><p>Well I suppose, I better meet my co-workers.</p><p>So, she began to walk towards her master’s office.<br/>Her master’s office was sparse, with no accoutrements or comforts of any kind. He had a few staff, civilian employees in the Galactic Alliance Guard who handled routine paperwork and bureaucratic minutiae, there was a stack of data pads on his desk.</p><p>Tahiri sat down and began to go through to read. The first datapad she picked up had a message from some Senator she didn’t know, wrangling about budgetary allotments for the next galactic fiscal year, another she picked up was from Galactic Alliance Intelligence units in Hutt Space, from what Tahiri could tell, it was mostly speculation and hearsay as they had not been able to infiltrate the high levels of the Hutt clans at all. She picked up another datapad and tapping the screen, saw a message that read, “High Priority Report:” and so she read further.</p><p>Above Top Clearance Only,</p><p>We have firm reason to suspect malicious intent from our Imperial allies. Despite their aid in helping the Galactic Alliance prevail in recent engagements, it is the conclusion of GAG Intelligence that the Imperials are plotting to usurp the Galactic Alliance as the premier power in the galaxy. They plan on doing this using several methods. These include,</p><p>Weakening our forces while keeping their own mostly intact and unbloodied.<br/>Tying GA resources down in secondary theatres and preventing negotiated peace making with elements of the enemy coalitions.<br/>Hard line use of super weapons, including biological and ecological munitions which can be blamed on the Galactic Alliance, due to close collaboration of our forces and shared command.<br/>Keeping channels open with the Corellian Confederation. Note: Turr Phennir, the supreme commander of the Confederate armed forces and the de facto first among equals of the Confederate governance structure is of course a former imperial himself. We believe with a high degree of certainty that the Moffs and Remnant Intelligence have been in communication with him, through indirect and possibly direct channels. The implications of this are obvious, if the war turns against the alliance then the Remnant can change sides or make a favorable peace with someone, they deem one of their own.<br/>Several recommendations have been constructed in response to these aims by GAG intelligence, Galactic Alliance Naval Intelligence, and the Galactic Alliance Diplomatic Service Corps. These include:</p><p>Tactfully insisting they contribute their manpower including the most elite Stormtrooper units to the frontline.<br/>We must not allow our focus to become distracted from our primary objectives. The more spread out our forces, the more the Remnant benefits. Also, it is our recommendation to Colonel Solo that attempts be made to split the Jedi Order, with lenient penalties for their current status as terrorists and deserters.<br/>Superweapons including the recent nanovirus project have their uses but must be used sparingly and with extraordinary caution. The Remnant must not be allowed to control narratives of super weapons use after the fact.<br/>We recommend to the Chief of State that pressure be applied on the Imperials, through high level channels, including the threat of sanctions and other post war punitive actions.<br/>Joint Intelligence Directors of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances,</p><p> </p><p>I probably wasn’t supposed to read that. </p><p>There were dozens of datapads piled up on her master’s desk, still unread. Tahiri sighed as she resigned herself to a day of monotonous boredom and managerial work.</p><p>Is this what being a Sith apprentice is? Reading holo mail and signing mundane documents? </p><p>Tahiri continued reading datapads, holomail notifications, and letters written on sheets of flimsiplast. It was boring, mostly mundane business of government, notifications of media reports, dossiers of known terrorists and subversive elements on Coruscant, and the occasional top-secret document, intended for her master’s ears. There were documents from as far back as two months before, and Tahiri struggled to keep everything organized and to make sure she had read everything.</p><p>Tahiri heard a beeping noise at the door, and through the force she could sense the person on the other side was breathing heavily, having come here with great urgency.</p><p>“Come”.</p><p>The door opened and entered was a young Duros male entered with great haste.</p><p>“Lieutenant Veila, I don’t mean to interrupt, I’m one of Colonel Solo’s secretaries, we were informed that you were the senior officer present at GAG headquarters.” The man said, clearly huffing and from what Tahiri could tell, eager to please.</p><p>“Is that so?” Tahiri replied sardonically.</p><p>Is he going to give me even more paperwork? </p><p>“Its my job to organize and stamp, Colonel Solo’s paperwork and read non classified documents. Saves him time and headaches.”</p><p>“I wanted you to know you didn’t have to do all this managerial work, that’s for us staff and not yourself.”</p><p>“And you didn’t show up earlier?” Tahiri asked, palpably frustrated.</p><p>“I apologize, m’am, we were only informed of your presence here five minutes ago.”</p><p>“Five minutes ago!” Tahiri was agitated now.</p><p>Was this some joke on her master’s part? Some display of subtle disdain? </p><p>“Colonel Solo was very busy for most of the day, he’s been in a high intensity meeting with the leading moffs and his staff. He informed me and the other civilian staff that he had forgotten to order us to assist you.”</p><p>“Your lack of initiative is noted…”</p><p>“I apologize it will not happen again.” The Duros looked at her with fear. Tahiri noticed how his eyes glazed down her torso, to her visible lightsaber clipped to her uniform belt.</p><p>“I hope so.” Tahiri said in response. One of the things her master had taught her was to not discourage the fear of her subordinates.</p><p>“Ideally, you don’t wish the men and women under your command to obey solely out of fear, but if they do, you should rely on the fear they already have to make the best use of them.” </p><p>“Stack all these datapads and flimsipasts, anything you see that says Top Secret or Above Top Secret, set aside, also I’d like this office cleaned, its almost as musky as the swamps of Dagobah, and turn on the damned air conditioning, when Lord Caedus returns this office better not have anything less recent than the day he arrives.” Tahiri commanded firmly.</p><p>“Yes m’am.”</p><p>“I’m going to go get something to eat, I will be back in the hour.”</p><p>I hear there’s a restaurant not far from here that serves GAG personnel, I think I’ve earned it.” </p><p>“Also, what is your name?” Tahiri asked.</p><p>“TaRachi SiRaal, m’am.”</p><p>Tightening her shirt, Tahiri left the small office she had spent the eleven hours in.</p><p>Over the intercom, another buzzer sounded.</p><p>“Lieutenant Veila”, a female voice ringed.</p><p>“Urgent message from Colonel Solo, please report to the Comms Room.”</p><p>I hope this isn’t secretary work. </p><p>Tahiri sprinted down the corridor towards the Comm Room, passing various aides, secretaries, GAG soldiers, and droids along the way.</p><p>She entered the small room and saw the holoprojector, and before her appeared the visage of her master.</p><p>“Tahiri, I have to leave Coruscant tonight, the Jedi have ambushed Admiral Bwua’tu’s Sixth fleet in the Harrin System, I’m leaving with the Galactic Fourth Fleet and the Imperial Second Fleet to relieve him.”</p><p>Rebel alliance tactics, Master Skywalker wants to prolong the war and wear us down. </p><p>“Won’t the Jedi be gone by then?” Tahiri asked.</p><p>“The Sixth fleet was heavily damaged; the coalition fighters withdrew after sustaining moderate losses.” Caedus intoned.</p><p>“So, are you hunting Jedi or relieving him?”</p><p>I wonder if he hopes, I’ll discover the Jedi base again. </p><p>“If the force wills it, both.” Her master answered with a tone of brusque authority.</p><p>“That is why you will hold Coruscant in my absence, I have informed Moffs Jowar and Rosset they are to treat you with the same courtesy they treat me, and you will reciprocate in kind.”</p><p>“Understood master.” Tahiri said kneeling in obedience.</p><p>“I have also informed the Advisory Council and the Senate of my departure, they will obey any order you give in my absence, and the garrison of Coruscant is at your disposal.”</p><p>“My lord, couldn’t this be a trap?” Tahiri asked somewhat timidly.</p><p>“Of course, it is.” Her master replied softly.</p><p>“Luke wishes to lure me into a wild bantha chase, and I plan to spring the trap.”</p><p>“You are to hold Coruscant and ensure no attempt is made, either by our Imperial friends to cause trouble or from ill conceived Jedi infiltration plans.”</p><p>“Do you understand your orders, apprentice?” Caedus interrogated.</p><p>“Yes master.”</p><p>“Good, I will see you again when I return.”</p><p>Tahiri felt out of breath and her sight looked cloudy.</p><p>I’m in charge of Coruscant. </p><p>She nearly fainted.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>9. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 7<br/> “I can sense his presence, in the force.” <br/>“Can you sense his plans?”  </p><p>“You know it doesn’t work like that Dad.” </p><p>“I’m sorry sweetie, I’m as concerned as you are.” </p><p> “I know.” </p><p>“Anyway, he probably hasn’t left Coruscant.” <br/>I shouldn’t be too hard on him. </p><p>“I, I’m sorry I snapped at you.” </p><p>“It’s alright dear, I’m just an old man whose doesn’t know all that much about being a Jedi beyond what his Jedi daughter tells him.” </p><p>Perhaps I should have been a Jedi, and not a Queen. Perhaps I chose wrong. Maybe I should have encouraged Jaina to marry my father, maybe she would still be alive, maybe there would be no war. </p><p>“I’m torn on what to do father.” “I had allowed myself to hope that Luke would have finished the war by now.” </p><p>Isolder went over to the drink dispenser and poured two glasses of Corellian wine, one for himself and one for her. <br/>Handing her a glass, he said. </p><p>“Corellian wine, 32 ABY a good year from what our Confederate friends tell me”. </p><p>Tenel Ka sipped the glass and felt the taste. It was drier and thicker than the wine on Hapes. She was thankful regardless, as it calmed her strained nerves and relaxed her shoulders. <br/>“The Jedi have withdrawn from the Transitory Mists, the Confederation is licking its wounds, and Caedus outnumbers us.” </p><p>“What courses of action are you considering?” Her father asked in a stern yet gentle voice. </p><p>“I could withdraw all our forces back to our space.” Tenel Ka said, this being the easiest option to think of at the moment. </p><p>“If you did that, Caedus might decide to simply cordon off Hapes and wage war on the Jedi and Confederation with us unable to intervene.” <br/>And then he could destroy Hapes at his leisure. </p><p>“I know which is why I have dismissed a total withdrawal.” Tenel Ka said in response. </p><p>“Our forces are weakened and scattered; I’ve seen my troops. Their beaten down and tired.”  </p><p>“This war has lasted less than a year and we have lost over half of our fighting capacity.” </p><p>“Perhaps then,” Her father began. </p><p>“Perhaps we should seek a more cautious approach, maybe Master Skywalker will put some trick out of his robe and a quick end to the war will be gained after all.” <br/>He already tried that once, and it got a good woman, a friend of mine, it got her killed. </p><p>“The war is shifting in Jacen’s favor, the Confederation is on its knees, and the Jedi are reduced to Rebel Alliance tactics, a form of warfare which we are unsuited.” <br/>Her father rubbed his chin with his fingers, looking thoughtful, and then replied. </p><p>“Rebel alliance tactics beat the Empire.” Isolder said. </p><p>“It took twenty years of war for it do so.” Tenel Ka said in response. </p><p>“Somehow I don’t think Jacen’s government is that stable.” Isolder said, with a tiny hint of optimism in his voice. </p><p>“I’m sorry to disappoint on that father, but from what my intelligence reports tell me that is far from the truth.” Tenel Ka as she sipped her wine feeling a little bit lightheaded. </p><p>“Oh?” Isolder’s mouth curled in surprise. </p><p>“I’m not on your formal privy council, so my knowledge of these things is limited to what you tell me and what you allow your staff to tell me.” </p><p>Keeping you in the loop would not make the situation any better. </p><p>“Jacen is remarkably popular on Coruscant and in the core.” Tenel Ka said, straightening up on the bed. </p><p>“The citizens of the GA, don’t know what he’s up too.” Tenel Ka sighed. </p><p>“They don’t even know how he seized power.” Tenel Ka said in an exasperated tone. </p><p>“There seems to be no way, at least no easy way to dislodge him and I am at a loss as for what Hapes can do the Jedi cannot.” </p><p>Her father rubbed his eyes and in an entirely ungentlemanly way, guzzled down a large portion of his wine. </p><p>“All I know to tell you is to endure.” Her father said. </p><p>“Its something Master Skywalker said once, to your mother.” </p><p>“The force always bends towards triumph of the light, whether it take a day or a thousand years.” </p><p>If only things were so simple. </p><p>Over the intercom system, a husky female voice spoke. </p><p>“Queen Mother, the Princess wants to see you.” </p><p>Isolder looked at her and Tenel Ka saw something she had not seen in a long time. He smiled. </p><p>One of the doors to her bedroom opened and in walked a girl no more than five. Getting off the bed, Tenel Ka ran over and swept up Allana in her arms. </p><p>“How was your day sweetie?” </p><p>“I learned about adding and subtracting and proper etti...ettiquick.” Tenel Ka chuckled. <br/>“Etiquette sweetie, not ettiquick.” </p><p>Despite the war, and their increasingly perilous situation Tenel Ka had ensured Allana did not fall behind in her daily lessons, from academic subjects like math, to more social subjects like basic etiquette, <br/>as Hapan Crown Princess, it was incumbent she receive a well rounded and more importantly excellent education. </p><p>She carried Allana back to the Queen size bed and gave her to Isolder. </p><p>“Grandaddy” The girl cooed, as she put her little hands on his face and hair. </p><p>“How was your day sweetie?” Isolder asked as he looked at her lovingly. </p><p>“It was good. I don’t like subtracting though.” Allana replied, her red hair bobbling as she bounced on the bed. </p><p>“And why is that sweetie?” <br/>“Because I want to see things grow, to get bigger, not to get smaller.” </p><p>She might be a conquering queen one day. Or she might rival the Muuns for business acumen. </p><p>“Can I get you anything to drink sweetie before bedtime?” </p><p>“Blue milk” Allana said with the sweetest smile on our face. </p><p>Getting out of the Queen size bed, Tenel ka walked to the closet on the far side of the room, and opened a closet door, that was about a quarter of the size of the bedroom itself. Within it was a cooler in which drinks and snacks could be acquired, without asking the staff or ship’s culinary personnel to make something. Finding a large bottle of sweet blue milk, Tenel Ka walked back to the bed and handed it to Allana. <br/>It was probably more than she should have had at this hour, but Tenel Ka was in an indulgent mood for her, after so much bad news. </p><p>Allana took big gulps as Tenel Ka and Isolder sat silently on the bed with her, finishing their wine glasses. For a moment, Tenel Ka relaxed and breathed at peace. </p><p>“Well I’m going to retire for the evening, I recommend the Crown Princess do the same, its bedtime.” </p><p>Allana looked sullen for a moment, but Tenel Ka looked her daughter in the eye, with a stern glare and she did not speak out of turn. She hopped off the bed, and walked toward the door, her room being merely 2 meters away from her mother’s. </p><p>Seeing her off to her room, Tenel Ka was now alone in her bedchamber. </p><p>If the war keeps on going badly, if Master Skywalker can not defeat Caedus, then, then I will have to face him down. <br/>Suddenly Tenel Ka heard a knock on the door. </p><p>“Your majesty”. Someone yelled from outside in the hallway. </p><p>Now in her pajamas, Tenel Ka sighed and walked to open the door. </p><p>Behind the door was a Hapan Royal Guardswoman, her expression one of fear and utter anxiety, to say nothing of what Tenel Ka sensed through the force. <br/>“We have been alerted, to the presence of three enemy fleets heading in this direction.” </p><p>“What!” </p><p>Jacen was on Coruscant and B’wuatu had gone to Kashyyyk, last time she had heard the intelligence reports. </p><p>“Which fleets?” </p><p>“The Galactic Alliance Fourth fleet, the Imperial Second Fleet, and the Galactic Alliance Sixth fleet”</p><p>“Fleet command wants to know what our orders are”. </p><p>Outnumbered Three to One. If Jacen wants a battle, I will give him one to remember. </p><p>“Caedus wants to strike now while we are scattered, while we are running and hiding.” </p><p>“Summon the Home Fleet, though I doubt they will make it in time.” Tenel Ka said, now Queen Mother, not mother. </p><p>“How long do we have to prepare?” </p><p>“Five standard hours, your majesty.” The guardswoman replied. </p><p>“My order is to hold position here, once they jump out of hyperspace, we will meet them with a barrage of rotating turbolaser batteries.” </p><p>“I will inform the admirals, your majesty.” With that, the woman sprinted back down the hallway. </p><p>So, Lord Caedus is coming for Hapes. For me. For Allana.  And I will greet him with a Dathomiri kiss.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>10. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 8</p><p>The Singing Hutt was gaudier, fancier, and even more exquisite than what Tahiri had been told. Located about a kilometer away from the Galactic Alliance Justice Department building it was one of the most exclusive restaurants on Coruscant. The waiters were all dressed in old Alsakani finery, with a band playing classical music, from great musicians of the past twenty thousand years, paintings adorned the walls including the famous rendition of the Dha Werda Verda by ancient Republic artist Daran Saran. </p><p>Tahiri sat by herself in a table made of marble and porcelain, sipping on her Chandrilan wine, and nibbling at her sweetened bread wafers. Around her were Coruscanti celebrities, financiers and corporate CEOS, alongside their dates, wives, mistresses, and smatterings of staff, politicians whispering, and other such notables all eating, drinking, and carousing. It was strange to sit among them, Tahiri despite being a former Jedi had never interacted with galactic high society and felt like a Tusken on Kamino. </p><p>I ought not tell Lord Caedus I got in here without money, and simply used a force trick on the concierge as well as pulling rank on the manager. <br/>Tahiri chuckled at that, her master might be mildly displeased with her use of her time and the force for her casual enjoyment, but what was being the de facto chief of state, much less a Sith apprentice worth if you couldn’t enjoy yourself a little bit? </p><p>From the kitchen, Tahiri noticed a Mon Calamari waiter walking in her direction, dressed in a suit which accentuated his fish like features, as his eyes contacted her own. <br/>“Lieutenant Veila, your bantha steak will be ready in around ten minutes”.  The Mon Calamari waiter said. </p><p>“Is there anything else I can get for you while you wait m’am?” He asked.</p><p>“Just another class of wine please.” Tahiri said in response. </p><p>“Yes ma’am” The Mon Calamari waiter said in response and then hurried over to a table across from hers.</p><p>I’ll need to get back to the Senate building before midnight, just to check in before I got to bed. </p><p>Reaching into her side pocket, Tahiri felt for her comlink, and looked at the screen. <br/>Five Notifications<br/>I’ll look at it later. <br/>Tahiri leaned back in her velvet chair and took a deep breath. Her master was going to relieve B’wautu and had taken most of the military forces on Coruscant with him, and all she had to do was keep Coruscant warm for him. <br/>If this isn’t some test, I’ve already failed. </p><p>“Lieutenant Veila, your bantha steak is here.” The Mon Calamari waiter said. </p><p>Tahiri took a bite with her knife and fork, exquisite, better than anything I’ve had to eat in years. <br/>“Thank you, its very good.” Tahiri said softly. </p><p>“Your welcome, tell us if there is anything you need.” </p><p>The waiter bowed slightly in respect and hurried back to the restaurant’s kitchen. Other staff hurried between tables taking orders, delivering plates, and hearing whispered complaints from customers. The customers seemed engrossed in their own little realities, utterly divorced from the ongoing galactic war or even the terrorist attacks that had happened mere months before on Coruscant itself. <br/>None of them seemed remotely interested in her, a GAG agent, sitting alone and eating in their presence. She had garnered a good many stares to be sure when she walked past the waiting area of the restaurant, though it wasn’t for her role in defending this world, and these beings, but merely due to her beauty and feminine charms. </p><p>She leaned back in her chair, and remembered a different time, <br/>Anakin was training in the courtyard, a gaggle of girls standing less than three meters away, Twi’lek, human, Devaronian, and more species than she could remember, all staring at him with gaping eyes, hoping he would return the favor and look in their eyes, not look at the pack of them, but just the one. <br/>He turned around after striking an imaginary enemy, and his eyes met hers. She felt a rush of purest joy, and her face turned as red as Yavin’s clouds. He tilted his head and smirked and she felt her heart clawing out of her chest, he’s mine, he’s mine, he’s mine. <br/>A few moments later, the training session ended, and the gaggle of girls filtered out behind him, and Anakin walked over, “Hey Tahiri, I was hoping you’d join me in the training yard.” Anakin said with that deep soothing yet strangely solid voice. <br/>“I’m not nearly as good of a duelist, as you I’d have just made myself a joke for your audience.” They did spar privately, but Anakin won those bouts nine times out of ten, and Tahiri was sure he was letting her win the one out of ten. <br/>“Your too harsh on yourself Tahiri, and you know I would never let you be looked down on in public, especially in front of our peers.” <br/>He put his arm around her shoulder as they walked out of the Jedi temple. Placing a firm kiss on her cheek, Tahiri held him as hard as she could. Despite the Vong…their future, their lives together, had barely begun…</p><p>The steak was half eaten, and many guests were leaving, Tahiri noticed a human man with a twi’lek woman walking arm in arm. They were both ornately dressed, with his hand hovering over her rear, and her fingers tracing along his back, as she slowly nibbled at his ear. </p><p>Tahiri looked at the table again, and saw the waiter had put the bill near her wine glass. Tahiri looked at her reflection in the plate.<br/>I only have my master. <br/>The manager of The Singing Hutt alongside the waiter as she began to stand up, the alcohol making her stumble a little.</p><p>“Ms. Veila, was your meal satisfactory?” </p><p>The manager asked. A Togruta woman who from what Tahiri could tell was in her later fifties. <br/>“It was good, I just didn’t have as large an appetite as I thought I would be coming in.” Tahiri responded. </p><p>“You don’t need me to pay for this.” Tahiri said, accessing the power of the force over the manager and the waiter at her side. <br/>In unison, the Togruta and Mon Calamari responded, “We don’t need you to pay for this.” They nodded in obedience. Neither being strong willed enough to even flicker with resistance when the force was applied to their minds. <br/>Stumbling a little, Tahiri pulled down her uniform and wiped off little flakes of food spilled. Slightly nodding to the manager and waiter, she hurriedly walked out of the building. Her speeder was parked on the side of the building, hovering above the artificial ground. </p><p>I guess I better check my comlink. <br/>Sliding into her speeder, Tahiri pulled out her comlink and looked at it again. <br/>14 New Notifications<br/>Clicking on the screen, <br/>Lieutenant Veila, we have a crisis situation in Camp 0123<br/>We need assistance now, major riot in progress!<br/>Major GAG teams have been dispatched; the prisoners are armed!<br/>Keeping media offsite, risk of spread high<br/>Tahiri turned the comlink off and slammed a fist into the console. <br/>Dammit. Probably rowdy Corellians who managed to overpower a few guards and the desk jockeys at HQ are overreacting, I’ll head over there just to make sure its all settled. There’s no way could have started a full-scale uprising, at worst, at worst this probably a scattered riot. Worst thing would be letting the tabloids and “citizen” journalists get wind of this and blow it out of proportion. Then, then there would be a problem. </p><p>Tahiri turned on her speeder, and drove quickly, swerving past the vehicles in the Coruscanti sky lanes, passing passengers out for the night, advertisement blimps, and larger transports moving past the sleek craft that zoomed across Coruscant. <br/>Moving her fingers to her lightsaber, she reflexively gripped the hilt and pressed her fingers to the blade ignition button. <br/>If I’m lucky, this will all have blown over by the time I get to the office.</p><p>The Galactic Alliance Justice Department was now in sight, and Tahiri accelerated. Moving in a diagonal arc towards the open space at the front of the building, with the Galactic Alliance Guard headquarters not far away. <br/>Tahiri jumped out of the speeder, and rushed inside, moving so fast the environment began to blur around her.  Sprinting to her office, she found the surrounding room populated by security droids and men and women looking at a viewscreen. <br/>“What’s going on here?” Tahiri asked loudly. </p><p>Turning to face her at attention, the gaggle of soldiers and civilian staff looked askance.</p><p>“Lieutenant Veila, there’s an ongoing a prison riot in Camps 0123, 0124, and 0126.” The man was a corporal in the guard, and he looked fresh, probably pulled out of the regular military. <br/>“How did this happen?” </p><p>Jacen is going to be very angry, when he learns I was partying on the town when this happened, best he doesn’t know. </p><p>“We aren’t sure, we believe there were external agitators amongst the inmates.” <br/>“Who?” “Jedi?” </p><p>If Jedi infiltrators had triggered an uprising, if they had gotten on Coruscant in large numbers, the amount of damage they could do. They’d be able to coordinate the internees, provide arms and direction and engage security forces and they’d be able to win. </p><p>“Intelligence agents on the ground don’t know, which is why we’re trying to get a handle on it via droid scanners and on-site operations.” The GAG corporal responded. </p><p>“We were awaiting orders from you as de facto chief of state and head of the guard in Lord Caedus’s absence.”</p><p>The men and women stood waiting, silently in appraisement and evaluation. Their expressions varied, and their posture formal, with no hint of displeasure. <br/>I don’t sense anger or disappointment, hopefully none of them hold my dinner trip against me. I hope they don’t. I have tortured and assassinated, and found hidden bases, surely, I can lead these men and women against some unruly insurrectionists? </p><p>“Alright I’m going to go Camp 0123, and see if I can find the infiltrators, my comlink is open, and I will be expecting situation reports every half hour.” Tahiri said as she loosened her back and twitched her toes in her boots. </p><p>“Is that understood?” </p><p>The staff frantically bellowed, “Yes Mam!” in response. <br/>“Alright then, I’ll need you, you, and you”. Tahiri said pointing at the Corporal, a woman with a private’s pip, and a sergeant who stood at attention.</p><p>Nodding the three GAG personnel moved to her back as she left the room. </p><p>“We’ll take one of the Lambda shuttles” </p><p>Tahiri said and her little squad nodded without a word. </p><p>I need this, I need to prove I’m worthy of his respect. <br/>Tahiri took the controls of the shuttle, as she turned on the frequency. <br/>Maybe its already put down and I’ll just supervise clean up of the embers and re arrested inmates. <br/>The channel frequency was buzzy, and the static unbearable to listen to. Adjusting the signal, a little, as Tahiri piloted the craft over the Coruscanti skyline, she heard a beeping noise.</p><p>“We need more men, the prisoners have overtaken the armory, the guards are barricaded in the commander’s office.” </p><p>“Commander, this is Lieutenant Veila status update!”</p><p>The buzzing hummed, <br/>“The prisoners have broken out of their cells and overtaken the armory and the maintenance checkpoints, some of our boys are held up in the lavoratory.” <br/>“What’s your ETA?” <br/>“I’ll be on top of you in thirty seconds, hold on!” </p><p>Looking out from the cockpit of the shuttle, the internment facility was an isolated area, nearly 10 blocks long and wide, in solid duracrete, painted black, with walls around five meters thick and guard towers every 6 meters. Access from the ground was blocked. All built to defend the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. <br/>Tahiri brought the craft into a hovering state, about a story above the command center. </p><p>“Landing now, be ready to jump down from the roof”. </p><p>Her squad nodded, as she moved the shuttle in a vertical dissent. <br/>What was that, oh Sith spit! <br/>“Jump!” </p><p>The squad leaped out of the shuttle as Tahiri felt the impact of the blast, the shuttle veering as she tried to steer it to the ground. <br/>Beneath the window, she could see her squad on the roof, struggling to crawl downward, as the shuttle veered and jolted as it descended downward. </p><p>“Lieutenant Veila going down!”</p><p>I doubt anyone is in the area, other guard forces must be scattered on Coruscant. <br/>Holding onto the controls, Tahiri breathed in, as she created a force shield around herself, just enough to prevent the exploding engine from destroying her body entirely as the shuttle’s tattered remains slammed into the ground.<br/>There wasn’t much blaster fire, the skies looked clear, the occasional buzz and yelling in the distance. <br/>Standing up from the shuttle, it was broken into at least five pieces, her force shield had preserved the cockpit for a future museum, the rest of the ship was scattered across the pavement.<br/>The armory didn’t have shoulder fired rockets did it? <br/>Tahiri sprinted from the wreckage and saw her first enemy combatant. A Corellian man with a blaster pistol, dressed in rags with an identification number on what remained of his clothing. The man fired a shot at her, and she dodged the blaster bolt, as she sprinted in his direction. <br/>Pulling out her lightsaber, Tahiri slid her knees close to the ground, her head level with the man’s waist, and ignited the blade, her hair unclipped from the sheer force and swaying on the man’s side, which she cut end to end. <br/>The man was cut in half, his torso and head laying next to his legs and mid-section, as Tahiri sprinted further, across the open ground of the camp. <br/>Near her position, Tahiri could hear voices screaming.</p><p>“Keep on blasting, we’ll dig underneath em if we have too!” </p><p>“We ought to blow it up, building and gaggers and all!” </p><p> </p><p>Their trying to destroy the camp HQ, probably with improvised explosives. <br/>Offices and checkpoints surrounded the internment camp’s HQ, and the voices seemed to come from within them. <br/>Crouching in the open, Tahiri moved slowly to the largest satellite office, and briskly she pulled out her comlink. <br/>“This is Lieutenant Veila, I’ve engaged the internees. Status report planetwide?” </p><p>“Eh, roger, we have probes orbiting the area, but we’re trying to keep this as low profile as possible, official policy in the event of an internee uprising is not to attract attention by putting a spotlight on the fire.” <br/>“Thanks, I could have sworn I read that in our field manual.” </p><p>“It was actually in our contingency planning booklet”. </p><p>Tahiri tried to suppress a laugh while crouching towards the main satellite office. <br/>“Most of the prisoners seem to be congregated in the barrack on your left, probably to avoid aerial bombardment and prepare an ambush”. <br/>“Thank you for the information, Tahiri out.” </p><p>“Oh, uh what was your name again?” She asked softly over the comlink? </p><p>“Jax Ryzan, I’m one of the analysts at GAG HQ”. </p><p>“Thanks, I’ll be sure to recommend you for a promotion next time evaluations roll around.” <br/>“Tahiri out”. <br/>The sky above her was dark, and traffic in this sector of Coruscant had been cordoned off, Tahiri could see lights orbiting above her, miles ahead. <br/>Probably the probes. </p><p>Sneaking closer to the cube shaped building, she could hear voices. </p><p>“Tell the prisoners to attack on my signal, if we can’t blast them, we’ll storm them!” <br/>“Yes sir!” </p><p>Their going to try and overrun the guard house, must not be able to sap underneath it or blow it up. </p><p>Tahiri moved herself into position, and with a force empowered kick, the door slammed into the floor. Rushing in, she dodged two blaster bolts headed straight in her direction, leaping and swirling in a side ways motion, and then landing on her feet, cutting down the first target in front of her, a bothan, then the other two Bothans tried to run out of the building, through the blasted door. <br/>But before they could make the distance, they were slammed up and hit the ceiling, and then thrown into the wall, two times, three times, four times, and then onto the floor. <br/>Drawing her lightsaber, Tahiri stepped over the spilled flimsipaste and knocked over desks and pointed it at the stunned men on the ground. <br/>“Lay down your weapons and put your hands behind your head.” </p><p>One of the Bothans tried to force himself off the ground, for his trouble Tahiri blasted him with a round of force lightning and he was back sprawled on the floor. <br/>The other Bothan started to chew his teeth. </p><p>Oh no you don’t. <br/>Tahiri forced open his mouth with and she could hear his jawbone break from the power exerted, as a small colorless pill floated deftly into her hand. <br/>Suicide capsules, they must be, they must be Bothan intelligence operatives! </p><p>Pulling out her comlink, and opening it up Tahiri spoke into it. <br/>“Ryzan, there are Bothan operatives in the internment facilities, I’ve captured two of them.” </p><p>“Have you confirmed that?” The man on the other end asked excitedly. <br/>“They haven’t confessed to it, but one of them tried to take a suicide capsule, that was embedded in his mouth, and they seem to have provided the prisoners with a small amount of weapons, including anti-ship rockets.” </p><p>“Orders?” Ryzan asked. </p><p>“Get the Coruscanti police and the guard alerted, I don’t care if this disturbs or alerts the media or the populace, we could have a planned uprising on her hands.”<br/>“Confederate sleeper cells, are here, and are stirring up unrest amongst the detainees.” Tahiri spoke loudly into the comlink. </p><p>“Yeah, right on it, do you want a show of force in the internment camps, or something broader?” Ryzan asked. </p><p>“I want all police including the damned traffic police mobilized, I want any Bothan who is not already in an internment camp to be taken in for questioning, as well as any human with a Corellian accent.” <br/>“That’s not going to be possible, Lieutenant” Ryzan responded. </p><p>“I don’t care, I want to overreact and avoid an insurrection rather than under react and let one happen while I’m running this planet.” </p><p>“The Coruscanti police have been notified and all Guard units are on notice, as well as the garrison of Imperial stormtroopers.” <br/>“I hope…”<br/>“What was that Ryzan?” </p><p>“I hope your wrong, I hope we haven’t had this spectacular of a failure in a single night.” </p><p>Caedus will cut me to pieces if I fail. </p><p>“For all our sakes, let’s just try and get through the night.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>11. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 9<br/>Bwua’tu’s fleet was had sustained moderate damage. Jedi StealthX fighter craft had struck fast and hard. Damaging two Viscount Star Defenders…badly. Alongside three Star Destroyers, and at least three dozen fighters were lost in the brief dogfight. At least forty percent of the ships needed round the clock repairs and had been patching up when he arrived. Though the Jedi were gone by then. </p><p>Hit and run tactics, predictable though still a troublesome nuisance. </p><p>“I trust repairs are completed Admiral?” Caedus asked the Bothan general. Nek Bwua’tu stood with his back straight and furry arms crossed across his chest. His expression deferent but proud. <br/>“My men were finishing up when you and the imperials got here, the Jedi had withdrawn six hours prior.” Bwua’tu said. </p><p>“I’m glad to hear it, and I am truly sorry I was not able to get here in time.” Caedus said. </p><p>“It doesn’t matter, the Jedi Coalition fighters would have withdrawn regardless of whether you got here.” Bwua’tu sighed and sat on his chair. <br/>“Do you have any count as to Jedi casualties?”  </p><p>“Unfortunately, we didn’t get any kills, both because of how fast the attack was, and because it was Jedi my fly boys had to fight out there, not to mention those damn super fighters they have.” </p><p>StealthX fighters aren’t unbeatable, though I’m willing to forgive him for this today. The pilots will simply need more experience in dogfights, no matter the losses. They’ll never improve otherwise. </p><p>“Its no matter, we have far more fighters, and the Jedi can not replace their own losses, except with non-force sensitives. You seem to have held your own…decently enough.” </p><p>Bwua’tu’s quarters and office were fairly decorated, with traditional Bothan décor, with a collection of books, flimsipast reports, and datapads orderly stacked on his desk. It wasn’t as austere as his own quarters, though any sort of extravagance in its contents either. </p><p>“Thank you, Colonel Solo”. Bwua’tu responded, somewhat awkwardly. From the confusion, Caedus sensed, Bwua’tu wasn’t sure if he was supposed to take that as a compliment or back handed insult. <br/>“You’re the Alliance’s greatest admiral, you smashed the traitors at Roche, and you have my gratitude for that.” Caedus said, sincerely. </p><p>“Just a simple encirclement manuever.” Bwua’tu said in response. <br/>“It was rather easy.” </p><p>“I suggest we go to the bridge, the Moffs are waiting for us.” Caedus said, and with a quick motion he flourished his hand in a sign for the Bothan admiral to stand up and follow him. <br/>Bwua’tu will be a crucial dejarik piece, I can sense his significance in the force. </p><p>Caedus walked with Bwua’tu out the door, as they strode to the bridge of the Borsk Fey’la. Taking the elevator, it took them up to the bridge. </p><p>Waiting for them on the elevated bridge were Moffs Lecersen, Rethway, and Rezer, in their imperial regalia, standing over the bridge crew as though the men and women on the ship were their soldiers, not Caedus’s, not the Galactic Alliance. <br/>They had better not have presumed to give orders. </p><p>“Lord Caedus”. </p><p>Lecersen said with a slight bow, and the other Moffs copied him. </p><p>“And... the Admiral Bwua’tu”. Lecersen gave a soft glance to the Bothan, a mixture of respect and barely veiled disdain. </p><p>“Lord Caedus, we had news that would be of relevance to you.” Rethway spoke, softly sizing up Caedus as the five men stared at each other on the bridge.</p><p>“The main Hapan battle fleet is near Ktil.” Rethway said. </p><p>“They seem to be screening the edge of the inner rim, imperial probe droids spotted the fleet five standard hours ago.”</p><p>The remnant dispatched spy probes in my inner rim! I’ll have the GAG squad hunt down and eliminate them. They are clearly trying to build an intelligence and reconnaissance infrastructure near the core, I would be damned to Chaos if these grasping scum subvert my government!  </p><p>“Do you know where their current heading is?” Caedus asked. </p><p>Beneath the bridge, flag officers and technicians, kept their heads down and their work tasks muffled, their feelings of discomfort and concern filling the room. <br/>Strutting in front of Bwua’tu, Caedus spoke with a haughty voice, </p><p>“Well, then the Hapans are right where we want them, no Jedi support or Corellian interlopers, we’ll smash the fleet here and now.” </p><p>“Set coordinates for the Ktil system, everyone to their battle stations.” </p><p>With that the tension on the bridge dissipated as the soldiers and technicians hurriedly moved to their assigned, stations, flipping switches and seating in their assigned seats. </p><p>“We’ll hit them with three fleets, the Sixth, the Second, and the Fourth.” </p><p>That was the end of the discussion on the bridge. <br/>Nodding on obeisance, the moffs left the bridge to give orders to their own fleet. And with that, the three fleets jumped into hyperspace. <br/>……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………<br/>The Hapan fleet was somewhere on the other side of the Inner Rim, patrolling, screening, waiting, it didn’t really matter. The battle would be won today, and Darth Caedus would come one step closer to the victory he sought. <br/>Maybe I was wrong over Kashyyyk, maybe if I had chosen differently, perhaps…more prudently Tenel Ka would not have turned against me, Allana would not be taken from me. Maybe with Tenel Ka’s help the war might already have been won. </p><p>Tenel Ka’s smiling face was looking at him, as he stretched his arms. </p><p>“I’m guessing you’ll take your fleet now, Jacen.” She said, smiling but with a touch of sadness. </p><p>“Yes.” He responded softly, before softly kissing her on the lips. It was still early in the morning, and no servant or courtier would enter the Queen Mother’s chambers if the door were locked. Sensing his thought, Tenel Ka excitedly shoved his head back into the pillow, and they exhausted themselves together for the next hour. </p><p>He had always loved her since the days of Yavin IV. Oh, to be sure, there were other women, Danni, Anja, Tahiri, Alema other choices he could have chosen but through choice or happenstance did not. After he cut off her arm, he had been told by his brother he had helped her braid her hair. Was it merely good fortune, or fate that Anakin had not stolen her from him? </p><p>His brother was brash, confident, proud. A warrior, a clueless lady’s man, a Jedi knight in the best traditions of the order, a fool. A dead body. Perhaps if Anakin had lived, I would have died in his place. Perhaps he would have been the one sent to slay me by Uncle Luke. </p><p>Luke Skywalker…his master, teacher, uncle…his sworn enemy. Luke’s eyes were now center in his mind’s view, hateful, ugly, monstrous eyes. Breathing in a sigh, Luke was cut to pieces, his head removed cleanly from his shoulders, as he held it above a cheering crowd. He began to lick his lips and feel his heartbeat accelerate at the thought, soon…soon. </p><p>But not yet. </p><p>Sighing deeply, Caedus recentered himself and focused again, letting the disappointment and dissipated energy, flow out of him. </p><p>The currents of the force were…unclear, like a thrashing violent river filled with rocks, and detritus, it was impossible to make a heading. Connections formed, the dart in his Aunt’s thigh was connected by a shard to Ben Skywalker in the embrace of pain, which connected itself to a burning forest, and then back to her. Her sorrow and resolve. No, no I must not, I must not lose focus. </p><p>Tahiri appeared suddenly in the mist, lonely, desperate, and utterly pathetic, so quick to believe in the utter absurdity that the dead could be raised, did the foolish girl not know Anakin was as the Jedi said one with the force? Of course the lie was that his death would be prevented but the river of time did not allow upstream travel. She trained with a lightsaber, peered over files of data, and cut down Corellians. She looked through the shifting images, at him, with longing, with disappointment, with hate. <br/>Her eyes made contact with his own, as if she was standing over him a smirk of pride on her face, her head separated from her body, tears still leaking out of her eyes, Tahiri was now commanding a large army, in a black jumpsuit, her blonde air matching her golden eyes. <br/>Through the shards, glimpses, metaphysical threads, Moffs plotted in the dark, nostalgia, amorality, and cynical laughter in their hearts, and on their faces, they looked to be loading blasters…<br/>His own corpse floated in space, bloated and with a shocked beaten expression, as wine glasses were toasted and beings laughed and caroused, smiling at the corpse as it floated aimlessly in the void. </p><p>The door alarm beeped, all too loudly. </p><p>“My Lord.”</p><p>The door opened automatically. <br/>A young man entered, no more than twenty-two. <br/>“Report, Lieutenant”. Caedus said sternly<br/>“We’re about to exit hyperspace, in around five minutes.” <br/>“Duly noted Lieutenant Teraas, you may return and inform the bridge crew I will be on the bridge of the Anakin Solo before we re-enter real space.” </p><p>Caedus replied. <br/>The young man appraised him, nodded, and then bowed, his brown eyes wide with anticipation and just a touch of fear, as he nearly skipped back outside. <br/>He must have gone to officer school and skipped enlistment. </p><p>Standing up, Darth Caedus scraped his uniform and walked out of his chambers. <br/>The bridge crew of the ship were at their stations, all eagerly checking systems, following their assigned orders, and swallowing their fears. They did so without a single word. </p><p>“Fire at the lead ship as soon as we exit hyperspace and hold onto your seats.” </p><p>“Yes sir!” </p><p>The Anakin Solo began to decelerate from hyperspace, the blue and white whirling lights starting to become static and calm. <br/>The men and women on the bridge of the Anakin Solo were glued to their posts, calibrating, recalibrating, communicating coordinates, and rechecking ship systems, they were professionals. No one served on this ship without at least a decade of experience under them. Caedus could sense their exhilaration, their fear, excitement, as they tried to ignore his burning eyes and focus on their jobs. <br/>“10 Seconds ETA!” <br/>One of the co pilots sounded off. Her voice measured but excited. <br/>Another battle, another step closer to final victory. <br/>“Nine Seconds ETA!” <br/>She sounded off again, Caedus observed from his overview her dark hair shifted as she turned her head side to side. By her side was a male Duros, his green skin contrasting poorly with the dark uniform he wore, he glanced at her and she nodded back. <br/>I hope the staff are keeping relationships professional around here. <br/>“Five Seconds ETA!” The naval officer sounded again, her voice edging closer to a more high-pitched scream. <br/>“Target the nearest Hapan war ship.” Caedus commanded, his arm resting on the bulkhead. As he stood flanked by two Galactic Alliance Guards, who silently observed his every expression and bodily tic, trained to obey without even a glance. <br/>We have the Hapans outnumbered three to one, this won’t be a battle, it will be a slaughter. An easy slaughter at that. <br/>Caedus smiled at the thought and began to feel himself chuckle a little. <br/>After that the Anakin Solo exited hyperspace, with at least three Hapan battle dragons directly across from the bow of the Star Destroyer. Circling around each other, with at least thirty more Hapan ships further behind them. <br/>The three ships ejected five large projectiles, directly at the Anakin Solo’s command bridge. <br/>“Proton torpedoes!” <br/>They hit the command bridge with incredible potency, and six men were flung out of their seats from the impact. <br/>“Shields holding!” </p><p>“Open fire!”<br/> Caedus bellowed. <br/>Behind the Anakin Solo, the rest of the fleet emerged from hyperspace, the Megador and dozens corvettes and frigates, as well as two Mon Calamari cruisers. <br/>The Battle Dragons released a torrent of turbolaser fire, at the Anakin Solo again. Hitting the command bridge and the ship’s dorsal surface. The Anakin Solo returned fire, and the Battle Dragons withdrew to the main Hapan battle fleet. <br/>From what Caedus could observe, the Hapan fleet was in a circular formation, moving around a steady axis, with one large ship at that axis. <br/>Tenel Ka. I don’t want, no I will not kill her here. At least…not if I must. She seemed stronger, her presence in the force much broader than what it had been. He felt dizzy all of a sudden, the world outside was foggy/<br/>“Break the formation and go for the lead ship!” </p><p>“Aye aye sir!” </p><p>The bridge crew responded, as his fleet took a wide semi-circle formation to counter the full Hapan circular one.  <br/>“Bwua’tu has exited hyperspace, Lord Caedus!”<br/> A young officer yelled at him, though Caedus barely nodded before replying. <br/>“Tell him via inter fleet com, to flank the Hapans from their port side. </p><p>“Yes sir!” The corporal responded, and swiftly moved to his post, a communications desk. </p><p>“Lord Caedus wants you to flank them, flank them!” </p><p>The Hapan rotating fleet was pummeling his own now, not letting up at all, with turbolaser fire and then proton torpedoes. <br/>“The Sassy Bantha’s been destroyed!” </p><p>Just a frigate, makes no matter. </p><p>Finding a chair, Caedus sat down to breath, whatever had taken the air out of him, had not been a mere accident. <br/>A young man approached him, human with green eyes and brown hair. He looked to be a gunnery sergeant. He had run all the way back to the edge of the bridge and then up the stairs, so he was huffed and exhaled. </p><p>“My Lord!” The sergeant said, bowing slightly. </p><p>“What is it?” Caedus replied, the man’s brown eyes were white with fear, and his legs wobbled and shook. </p><p>“Uh, uh sir, the Imperial fleet miscalculated the jump!” </p><p>The Sergeant whimpered, his voice barely a crack now. <br/>“How in the name of Chaos did the Imperials miscalculate the jump?” <br/>Caedus replied, enraged and exasperated. <br/>Damn them, damn that I have to work with the kriffing Imps and their blasted incompetence.</p><p>“It was a minor mistake, they exited hyperspace about 1.5 light years from here, they’re on their way at sublight speeds, they’ll be here in about ten minutes or so.” <br/>Was this an intentional ploy, a way to weaken my fleet and save the day?</p><p>“Tell the Moffs to attack the Hapan formation from the side, I want those fighters sent out now!” </p><p>“Yes sir” </p><p>The Sergeant responded, before hurriedly heading back to his post to make the order known. <br/>The Hapan fleet seemed larger than it before they exited hyperspace, there were more ships in the rotating formation, fighters constantly leaving the small hangar bays. Darth Caedus moved his hand over his stomach, and then to his forehead. </p><p>Something isn’t right. </p><p>The men and women at their posts appeared dishearted, uneasy, their arms and hands quivering, as more Galactic Alliance ships were destroyed. </p><p>“My Lord, the Hapans are holding their position and neither our fleet nor Admiral Bwua’tu has been able to punch a hole in their line.” </p><p>“Noted Lieutenant”. </p><p>Caedus responded with an indifferent wave. <br/>The Anakin Solo moved closer to the Hapan fleet, ever closer to the ship in its center. Out of the corner of his eye, Caedus saw a Hapan fighter crash beneath the bridge. </p><p>At least the shield was holding.</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>12. Chapter 10.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 10<br/>The bridge of the Dragon Queen was organized chaos. Shouts and screams and commands filled the room as the Conn officer, S’era Maran, pushed and shoved the buttons at her post. Fighters kept on being sent to the fleet directly in front of them. Anxiety, dread, and excitement gave the room a hectic and almost giddy aurora.</p><p>That energy was directed into the task at hand, into keeping the engine running, the turbolasers firing, and the ship’s cooling systems from overheating. The crew in their anxiety, redoubled their camaraderie and esprit de corps, fighting valiantly second by second.</p><p>Bursts of energy covered the windows, and the void of space itself was hidden in the lights of super-heated plasma flying in both directions.</p><p>Tenel Ka was not affected in the slightest.</p><p>The Ktil system was a focal point, among other focal points, in the metaphysical tapestry than ran along the universe and reflected on and from it. Her aides and soldiers had been worried, but she had relieved them of their concerns, she was the Queen of Hapes, and she wouldn’t die. Not today anyway.</p><p>The enemy fleet was caught on the backfoot, the attack too urgent, her opponent too hasty. Strange, really, he hadn’t been so keen to rush into crises for most of the time she knew him, quite the opposite. But that man was gone now, replaced by a different creature, a monster she grieved to even think of.<br/>He seemed exhausted, and bewildered. All the better, when the Home Fleet arrived.<br/>The gift of Battlefield Meditation was a peculiar one, it allowed one to see the battle from outside oneself, and to see the interconnecting importance of the large and small parts. Which made up the greater whole.<br/>It had taken some considerable time of study, but with Master Skywalker’s assistance, she had gotten better, more than assistance to learn, he was with her now, or at least his presence in the force was. The more ethereal aspects of the force weren’t the easiest to master, but she had learned.</p><p>“The Imperials ETA is five minutes!”</p><p>An officer shouted, her voice bellowing across the bridge.</p><p>“As we planned, move the Bronze Dragon and her support ships to our starboard side, form a tight line fighter screen.”</p><p>“Yes Ma’am!”</p><p>The corporal shouted back.</p><p>Cleverer than Ta’a Chume at her best. Thank you, Luke.</p><p>He was with her now, through the force, lending his wisdom and his power.</p><p>“Imperial fighters are approaching from the starboard flank!”</p><p>A gunnery officer shouted at the top of her lungs.</p><p>“Keep up the barrage, don’t let them get within range!”</p><p>Lieutenant Ch’am replied in her standard high-pitched voice.<br/>The Anakin Solo and the Megador were approaching, directly in front of the Dragon Queen, firing off turbolasers and sending the last of their fighters into the fray.</p><p>Now Jacen do you wish to meet me eye to eye? Why Now!</p><p>“Fire directly on that Super Star Destroyer”</p><p>Tenel Ka commanded, her voice echoing through the power of the force, even though her vocalizations were soft and mild.<br/>The women below nodded, and “ayed” at her in response, as the guns of the Dragon Queen concentrated on the black dagger like ship directly in front of them, flurries of superheated plasma struck across the command bridge’s window, arcing in a narrow angle directly to the Anakin Solo.</p><p>He was there, on the bridge of the Anakin Solo. He appeared confused, light headed, as if he had stumbled out of bed. Good.</p><p>“Your Majesty, the Imperial fleet is on coming up on three minutes, Tie Interceptors and Bombers in bound”.</p><p>Captain Chayla said her voice panicky and thick with worry.<br/>“Keep the point defense turrets on point, keep them at a distance.”</p><p>“Yes your majesty!”</p><p>The Hapan fleet had formed a circle with the Dragon Queen at its bow, though Tenel Ka knew that the starboard side of the Fleet was well prepared. They had been preparing for hours for this.</p><p>“Brace for the first wave!”</p><p>Turbolaser fire was exchanged between the Dragon Queen and the Anakin Solo, sparks of red super heated plasma streaking across the void between the two warships, as the Anakin Solo and Megador got ever closer, and the rest of the Galactic Alliance fleet behind them.</p><p>We’re surrounded now on nearly three sides.</p><p>“Queen Mother! The Second GA fleet is approaching from the Port Side-its Admiral Bwua’tu!”</p><p>One of her lieutenants shouted, not that she needed too. Tenel Ka could hear the smallest sound, so concentrated she was.</p><p>You must not despair, or lose heart, we will prevail today. Those without the force often only glanced the surface, but those with it could see the depth and interconnection of all things. The energies of the force, needed to put things back into perspective, to tilt the scales.<br/>“Concentrate-you can turn their fear back into confidence and his triumph into confusion”. The Grandmaster said.<br/>The Queen Mother sat in her throne, serene as the seas of Hapes after a brief rainshower. It was utterly astounding, how could anyone even a Jedi be so calm in these conditions?</p><p>The screen at which Lieutenant Ch’am stared was impossibly dire, the shields were failing, and there were no more Hapan fighters left to send.</p><p>Sergeant Maran hastily pushed buttons and shouted through her comms. “Stay in formation, keep the batteries spinning.”<br/>But it couldn’t hold, the enemy had three fleets that were approaching to close range. With fighter screens and an increasing pace of turbolaser fire, there didn’t seem to be any way out, not if that Bothan split his fleet in half, and cut them off from the back as well as the front and sides.</p><p>“You can surrender Tenel Ka. I’m tired of this, your outnumbered, your outgunned. I have ordered Bwua’tu to cut off your retreat."</p><p>Its over, surrender the fleet and yourself into Alliance custody. If not for yourself, for your crew, for your father, and for Allana. That is my only and final offer.”</p><p>“I’ll never give up my daughter to you.”</p><p>“Then you have left me with no alternative, I will have to acquire her myself, with or without your compliance.”</p><p>With that, the three fleets of the Galactic Alliance and Imperial Remnant began to slow into position, less than 50,000 kilometers away from the Hapan fleet. It was astounding to look at. In front of her, on the window of the bridge, aligned countless Galactic Alliance warships, with Imperial war ships on her right side, and more Alliance ships on her left.</p><p>“Queen Mother, the GA sixth fleet is remerging, looks like Bwau’tu won’t be flanking us after all”.</p><p>Better to concentrate firepower then</p><p>The barrage began, on three sides. The black void of space appeared red with the light of blaster fire. The Anakin Solo was facing directly at the Dragon Queen, flanked by two cruisers and the Megador on its starboard.</p><p>“At least two Battle Dragons have been destroyed, and over two thirds of the fighters are destroyed, shields failing!”</p><p>“I can’t keep up the turbolaser fire much longer, weapons are almost exhausted, once they blow through our shields, we’re sitting womprats!”</p><p>“The Lucky Queen’s engines are destroyed!”</p><p>Conn Officer Maran shouted. She kept her eyes on her desk, as she yelled out targeting data and turbolaster statistics. Her voice growing ever hoarser.</p><p>“The Old Mother’s life support is down!”</p><p>She hit the desk in frustration, and then bent her shoulders.</p><p>“We have less than ten fighters that are in action!”</p><p>“Two more cruisers destroyed with all hands!”</p><p>“Queen Mother, you have to order a retreat, we’re down to fifty percent combat effectiveness!’</p><p>Tenel Ka didn’t respond.<br/>There is no emotion, there is peace<br/>There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.<br/>There is no passion, there is serenity.<br/>There is no chaos, there is harmony<br/>There is no death, there is the force.</p><p>Reality was an interlocking series of matrices, and rivers, rivers that were overflowing. The force binding it all together, I had never appreciated…the true depth of the force. Every soldier and pilot, was a small fulcrum on which the interconnected webs moved and balanced, both hers and Jacen’s.</p><p>“This is battle meditation in its truest form, to grasp the greater picture, and shape it, direct it, guide it.” The voice spoke from across countless light years.</p><p>They were terrified, confused, and utterly lost. They didn’t need to be, and it was her duty, her role for her subjects to not whither and break. To not falter.</p><p>So, she focused her efforts first on the pilots still in action, and the other crew on the other ships. Encouraging them, comforting them, imbuing them with the same peace and purpose.<br/>“I can turn the tide; numbers don’t matter only one’s connection to the force.”</p><p>The pilots shot faster, and dodged Imperial TIES. Her crews worked the turbolasers and turrets, with more vigor and restored discipline. They could win, they only needed to act, not to worry but to do.<br/>“Come on-let’s give em all we got, no shields means we’ll just shoot better!”</p><p>Maran yelled over the rest of the bridge crew, enough that she would have been reprimanded for it even during crisis events in normal times.<br/>We can hold them off, we can make it!</p><p>Ta’ra Ch’am felt giddy, even excited. There was no other way to describe it.</p><p>“We can hold them off, we’re the best fleet in the galaxy!”</p><p>“Keep up the hits, and we’ll break the Colonel’s nose!”</p><p>The crew began to chant.</p><p>The sense of panic and despair that had existed, only some moments before had vanished, there was an atmosphere of camaraderie and esprit de corps, of hope regained.<br/>The volume of turbolaser fire increased from the rotating batteries, as the point defense turrets began striking GA warships, and TIE defenders streaking around and in front of them.</p><p>“We can drive them back, keep up the pressure!”</p><p>The Queen Mother sat on her throne of red, her eyes were closed but she was smiling, smiling with the deepest joy. There wasn’t an ounce of worry on her face.</p><p>She’s smiling at me. She’s encouraging me!<br/>The ship to ship intercom began to buzz.</p><p>“This is Major Ser’o from the Lady Rancor!”</p><p>“Your online, whadd’ya got!”</p><p>Shouted Maran back at the com.</p><p>“The Hapan Home Fleet is on the way, we’re going to exit hyperspace right on top of you ladies and we’re coming in hot, be advised!”</p><p>“What took you so long?”</p><p>"We came as fast as the engines could take us, situation report?"</p><p>Maran shouted back at the com.</p><p>“Half the fleet is dead in space or is destroyed, only 24 fighters left in action, and we’ve sustained thousands of casualties, far more than the medical bays can process!”</p><p>“Alright we’re gonna be there soon, ETA thirty seconds be advised!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>13. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tahiri felt her flow back in the nightly breeze. The air was cold, unpleasantly so. She fought the urge to curl her arms, as she stood over the two captured Bothans, both of whom were now in handcuffs and kneeling on the ground, face down. They would be taken for questioning in a more guarded facility, off world.</p><p>Coruscant had several internment facilities, in closed off sections of the city world. These facilities were blocked off from unwelcome public viewing, by restrictions on speeder travel within their coordinates. Any civilian, or worse member of the press who stumbled on these GAG run prisons would receive an automatic transmission, warning them to leave the area, or face imprisonment of a period not lower than ten years.</p><p>Now, that wasn’t too much of a problem, well it might be soon. The GAG was probably moving to secure all facilities, the regular street police were on alert, and five thousand imperial stormtroopers were also on standby.</p><p>I need to go deal with the barracks...</p><p>She started to walk outside the satellite security office. Her comm beeped in her pocket, and she moved her left hand to grab it. Pulling it out of her pocket, she flipped it open and answered.</p><p>“Lieutenant Veila, this Ryzan, I’ve got a status update.”</p><p>“Uh, well more than one status update, we’ve had similar disturbances in Internment Camps, 0234, 0237, and 0236”.</p><p>That was not good at all.</p><p>“There is no way the internees are coordinating this, it must infiltrators from the Confederation!” Tahiri exclaimed.</p><p>“That is what we have concluded as well, you said you captured two Bothans? Well there are likely more of them here trying to stir up unrest.” Ryzan responded over the comm.</p><p>“Are they trying to trigger some sort of antigovernment uprising?” Tahiri asked, as she made her way to the barracks. The facilities were open air, but thankfully no non-government traffic was allowed over them.</p><p>“We aren’t sure, frankly this seems like a waste of Confederate intelligence personnel and time” Ryzan said, his voice cracking through the com.</p><p>“We’ll figure out what their agenda is afterwards, I’m going to the barracks, Lieutenant Veila out.”</p><p>“Roger that, Ryzan out”.</p><p>With the last beep, Tahiri closed her comm and hurried across the open pavilion towards the barracks.</p><p>Why trigger a revolt now? There was no way the internees would be able to escape nor would they somehow take over the government facilities on Coruscant, even with the best of luck. What could the intent be?</p><p>The Barracks were now less than 30 meters away, and Tahiri unclipped her lightsaber from her belt.</p><p>I should have bought the GAG detachment in the main building with me. Then again, Caedus wouldn’t be pleased to know I needed troops just to take on, some motley Corellian scum. She needed to deal with this herself.</p><p>The barracks were a long rectangular shaped building, which contrary to what one might have expected, did not house soldiers or security forces, but the internees. The door was reinforced duracrete, with at least three levels of electronic verification.</p><p>The Bothans likely hacked or cut their way in, so no need for ID, well I wouldn’t really need ID, would I?</p><p>Tahiri approached the door quietly, and with a force enhanced kick, booted it open. The door opened with a screeching unpleasant sound, as it slammed into the wall on the inside of the building. Stepping softly in the nightly breeze, she entered the internee barracks.</p><p>The vestibule was dark, the lights above had been broken. Walking through the second door, Tahiri passed by the guard kiosk, it seemed intact, except for some flimspasts strewn around on the desk. Tahiri walked towards the kiosk, the lights still were not on.</p><p>Something isn’t right, something isn’t right.</p><p>Now Tahiri was just inches away from the plexiglass of the guard kiosk, straining her eyes, she looked in. There, there was a dead man inside. He was wearing a GAG uniform and had two blaster wounds in his throat.</p><p>A dead guard? Why leave him at his desk? The prisoners wouldn’t have shot him from that direction. It must have been the Bo…oh what was that.</p><p>“buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz”</p><p>“buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz,”</p><p>“buzz, buzz, buzz, buzzzz, buzz, buzz”</p><p>Oh Sithspit</p><p>There’s an explosive and I’m past the trigger range. Dammit. Breathe, girl, breathe, use a force shield.</p><p>Instinctively, Tahiri threw up a protective force shield around her body. Three second later, the dead guard and the kiosk exploded with Tahiri mere inches away. Holding her footing, she did not shake or tremble, as the explosion around her cleared, scarring the wall and blasting debris in all directions.</p><p>That was stupid, I should have known better. Stupid girl.</p><p>It was without light, except for what little came in from the outside, and Tahiri moved further inside the building. After passing through the lobby area and guard kiosk, she approached a door and opened it, to reveal a long hallway, with the first row of cells on both sides. The hallway was wider, wider than any normal prison corridor.</p><p>Something is off, about this, the prisoners ought to have ambushed me, or at least…I ought to have made some sort of contact. The prisoners…surely, they knew they could not defend this building? Not after they failed to take the main HQ facility here.</p><p>Exiting that corridor, Tahiri entered a small hallway before opening another door and then entered an adjacent cell block.</p><p>Tahiri breathed deeply before reaching out through the force again…there was not anything there. She ran through the corridor, her lightsaber ignited.</p><p>Something is not right…the prisoners…there is no way for them to escape.</p><p>Tahiri went through another small room, and then opened another door, and entered the cafeteria. Even with no light, Tahiri could tell that the room was open wide and more a square than rectangular in shape. Pulling out her, glowrod Tahiri flashed it around the room.</p><p>The tables were in their places, there was no sign they’d been knocked over, not even any sort of food or trash on the floor. Turning the glowrod to the corner on the left side from her direction was another door. With a lavatory sign.</p><p>Tahiri walked in its direction, her lightsaber still ignited and her glowrod in her other hand. The door was closed but did not appear to be locked. Tahiri opened the door and found the lavatory room, with a few small showers and relief areas. She pointed the glow rod on the ground near the shower area.</p><p>The floor ought to have been composed of standard duracrete tiles with a smooth top, the only problem was, there was no floor. Instead there was a large hole, roughly 3 meters in length, and 2 meters in width that descended downward into the sewer, and from there…Coruscant’s sewer and waste system.</p><p>That was where the prisoners had gone! The Bothans had blown a hole in the bathroom and allowed them to escape.</p><p>Then…again if the Bothan operatives had access to that sort of tech…surely, they ought to have found a way to take the command building of the internment camp? They could have easily blown the building from below or sapped underneath it to infiltrate it.</p><p>Pulling out her comm device, Tahiri typed on it furiously before putting it adjacent to her ear.</p><p>“Ryzan, the prisoners weren’t trying to take over Camp 0123, they escaped through Coruscant’s sewage system.”</p><p>Static</p><p>“Ryzan! Do you copy?”</p><p>Tahiri could hear deep breathing on the other side, as if they had nearly drowned.</p><p>“Uh, this is Jax Ryzan here, I copy.”</p><p>“What happened? Why didn’t you respond when I first called?”</p><p>“huhghhuhhghuuuh, I’m sorry I just picked up the comlink, there was a bombing, the office complex was destroyed a lot of people are wounded, or dead.”</p><p>“What?!” Tahiri exclaimed.</p><p>“What happened?”</p><p>“Uh, I think it was a speeder, low lying civilian model, at least that’s what security is telling us.”</p><p>A suicide attack probably packed with explosives and flying at an increasing speed.</p><p>“You were saying the internees escaped through the sewage system?” Ryzan asked in a groaning and gargled voice.</p><p>“Yeah, seems like the prison uprising was a distraction, the Bothans must have used it as a way to divert our attention.” Tahiri said in response, confident in her explanation.</p><p>“Not entirely a distraction.” Ryzan responded simply.</p><p>“What exactly do you mean?” Tahiri asked, as she walked back through the barracks to the outside.</p><p>“Camps 2124 and 2127 have been overrun, and the damned Corellians have taken hostages as well, at least two dozen GFFA staff in each facility.”</p><p>Kriffing Sithspit</p><p>“Not to mention, there is a crowd gathering at the senate, a lot of media too. GAG and Riot police are standing ready to break up the demonstration and will on your orders.”</p><p>Ryzan said as Tahiri sprinted through the barrack cell blocks.</p><p>“What do they want?” Tahiri asked, as she began to accelerate faster and faster, using the force to increase her speed.</p><p>“Nothing coherent, they’re just agitated.”</p><p>Ryzan responded, his breathing beginning to stabilize.</p><p>“Agitated? About what?”</p><p>Tahiri asked in response just as she passed the kiosk where she had nearly been blown into pieces and then outside into the open space.</p><p>“There’s some footage…on the holonet.”</p><p>Ryzan said, in a slower and more nervous voice.</p><p>“What footage?</p><p>“Uh, I’m not sure what the exact context was, but apparently some GAG guards beat a few unruly citizens, with the butts of their blaster rifles. At least two of the citizens died of blunt trauma injuries, its all over the civilian holonet.”</p><p>“This is happening at the same time as we have Corellians escaping their cells and Force knows how many bothans running around, I don’t believe that for a minute.”</p><p>Tahiri said in response as she hurriedly moved to the command building of the internment camp.</p><p>“GAG HQ doesn’t either, we’re looking into whether the citizens who were neutralized were Confederate agents or accomplices, were looking into their records now…”</p><p>“Alright, I need some transport to get back to HQ.”</p><p>Tahiri said, as she waved at the remaining guard detachment in the building. Both her two handpicked men running up to meet her, alongside at least forty other GAG personnel weapons drawn just outside the building.</p><p>“We’ll send you a speeder. Ryzan out!”</p><p>“No negative, I need a troop transport.” Tahiri responded, looking at the black uniformed men in visors standing at attention in front of her outside the Camp Headquarters.</p><p>“Uh right, yes m’am, two *MAATs on the way, Ryzan out”.</p><p>With that her comlink beeped and the screen went dark. Tahiri breathed in deeply before looking at the forty GAG personnel before her, their expressions hidden by their visors and helmets, though through the force Tahiri could sense their steeled resolve and unblinking professionalism. They did not speak, but merely stood silent.</p><p>Leading soldiers, possibly into battle, this is the test Caedus was talking about.</p><p>Tahiri breathed deeply before beginning to speak.</p><p>“Alright we’re heading to the GAG HQ, we’ve got what looks like an incipient riot in progress.”</p><p>What should I order them, lethal force, or is that not needed?</p><p>Thinking it over for a brief second, Tahiri continued,</p><p>“We’re going to break it up, hopefully stun settings and sonic booms ought to dissuade the civvies”.</p><p>The men nodded in response, without speaking, though some of them looked at her queerly, when she said the word dissuade.</p><p>They did not cheer or engage in crass banter like normal soldiers, maybe it was because they were just that disciplined and professional. Maybe they were just above that sort of thing.</p><p>Just as she began to step closer, Tahiri saw the two MAATs, hovering over the interment facility, and beginning to descend, with soft shrieking noises, coming from their engines, in a low rumbly sort of way.</p><p>One of the pilots signaled to her by hand, and she darted over to the craft, hovering less than three feet from above the ground.</p><p>“Situation at HQ and the Senate Plaza area has gotten worse, Coruscanti police have been attacked, at least two are dead, and the crowd is growing, there have been spurts of blaster fire from the crowd, though security haven’t been able to triangulate who it was”.</p><p>“Confederates” Tahiri said in response, as the forty men behind her walked in single file to the MAAT craft.</p><p>“Lieutenant Veila, should we land on the roof landing pad at HQ?”</p><p>The MAATs rose into the air, with the last GAG soldiers boarding as they flew into the Coruscanti night sky, the GAG personnel taking their seats behind her, as Tahiri crouched next to the pilot in the cockpit.</p><p>“No, land in the middle of the crowd”.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author's note</p><p>*MAATs are Medium Atmospheric Assault and Transport Craft.</p><p>I sort of imagine them looking like LAATs from AOTC albeit updated and possessing a longer more rectangular design.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>14. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The bridge of the Anakin Solo shook and stuttered as gunnery officers, pilots, and uniformed marines were either glued to their posts relaying orders and targeting coordinates, providing assistance to the fighters still in action, a rapidly decreasing number, while the officers on the bridge remained resolute, or rather they pretended too, they were in panicked awe, even if they didn’t show it openly, Caedus could sense their shock and skyrocketing unease, this wasn’t supposed to be happening, the Hapans ought to have broken by now, why was their formation holding, despite having been pounded by bombers and relentless turbolaser barrages, weren’t they a bunch of soft pansies, surely they ought to have surrendered, or well, fled anyway?</p><p>None of them knew the slightest about Tenel Ka, she would never surrender, or flee. Even if she had to cut down every one of her staff and every aide. Such was her will and tenacity. Not that it mattered, the logic of arithmetic always prevailed over the logic of heroism. Eventually her fleet would be rendered entirely combat ineffective, if it lasted another day, or another week, his victory was secured, she would have to surrender, as her duty to her people would eclipse her pride and passion.</p><p>If Tenel Ka surrendered, then the Hapans would be out of the war, there would of course remain pro war nobles but anti Jedi sentiment and their internecine intrigues would render them unfit to continue to support the coalition, they would either be paralyzed by indecision, or they would descend into civil war. Tenel Ka herself would be a high value prisoner, his prisoner.</p><p>She’d hate me, she’d want to strangle me with every ounce of her strength, but she would survive, and the sacrifice of her love for me would be worth it in the end, she would eventually see that, and even if…even if she forgave me, she would understand, and she would not oppose Allana’s destiny, even if she hates me.</p><p>Someone approached his chair, and his thoughts were disrupted, Caedus turned up and saw Staff Sergeant Yekan, approaching him and then bowing slightly.</p><p>“Lord Caedus, Bwua’tu has given the order to detach a third of his remaining fleet, they are moving to around us to encircle the Hapans from their Six, they’re going to be cut off!” The man said with a great deal of enthusiasm as his eyes widened awaiting Caedus’s response.</p><p>“Excellent, Tenel Ka may keep fighting but with no route of escape she will be forced to yield or face the total destruction of her fleet, and no one is coming to save her, even if she is being helped by my Uncle, from afar.”</p><p>The man nodded and hurried back to his station. The window on the bridge of the Anakin Solo directly faced the Hapan fleet, battered and in a tattered state, even the most exquisite Battle Dragon, Tenel Ka’s flagship had sustained ever increasing amounts of damage. Yet still, they continued to fight on, despite their near encirclement and hopeless position, he had received no message through the force, no private communique, no hologram, offering surrender. The Battle Dragons fired their turbolasers in repeating barrages, many directly targeting the Anakin Solo though her shields held despite occasional flashes of light on the window, or the little shakings of being repeatedly hit. It didn’t matter though; shields could be restored to their maximum power, and any damage repaired with ease.</p><p>Sitting on a black chair, Caedus cupped his own jaw with his palm, as he tilted his shoulders in observing the battle in front of him.</p><p>“The Sovv and her escorts, aren’t moving anymore!” Shouted Lieutenant Seri Ran, a Duros female of a decade’s service in the Galactic Alliance fleet. She hurriedly scampered to his seat, and bowed her head, her expression of confusion and self-assigned blame, despite not being at all responsible.</p><p>“Admiral Bwua’tu has demanded to know why the detachment has stopped in space, directly behind our fleet. The commander of the Sovv hasn’t replied except for incomprehensible stutters.”</p><p>Caedus looked at her bulbous eyes, her confused and concerned expression, palpable, and he was not afraid.</p><p>“Battle Meditation Lieutenant”.</p><p>“Pardon sir, I’m not well versed in your arcane Jedi arts”. Ran responded as she scratched her own hands and tilted her neck downward towards the floor.</p><p>Caedus rose and put his hand on her shoulder.</p><p>“My uncle is assisting Tenel Ka from afar, he is using the force to demoralize our forces, and to stiffen the resolve of Tenel Ka’s. This must be a targeted use of the ability to prevent her fleet from being encircled.”</p><p>It isn’t worth meeting Luke in a battle of the metaphysical wills. I’m going to win in a battle of firepower, all my uncle can do is delay the inevitable.</p><p>“The arcane Jedi art of battle meditation can and has shifted battles, Lieutenant but not today.” Walking down from his chair, Caedus could feel the beating hearts of the men and women under his command, as Lieutenant Ran skittishly followed behind.</p><p>Standing on the elevated parapet, Caedus strode to the window, and he spoke.</p><p>“The Hapans will surrender within the day, they have neither the resources nor firepower to hold us indefinitely, the battle is won!”</p><p>The crew on the bridge smiled as they continued their assigned tasks. They did not cheer, but Caedus noticed how their countenances felt up, in the force. Caedus then left the bridge, with a slow and lordly gait.</p><p>The black clad GA navy personnel focused intensely on their assigned posts, as at least five GAG guards followed him silently, from five paces behind.</p><p>Tenel Ka, I’ll offer you one last chance to surrender with your honor intact, I hope you see reason.</p><p>Caedus strolled outside of the bridge and entered the elevator, intending to go the Private Hologram room, that was holograms for him and other high ranking officers in the fleet, that could be sent on channels of the highest security.</p><p>The elevator descended promptly, upon his entry.</p><p>With Tenel Ka’s surrender, hunting down the Jedi will be a simple business of tracking, and of course getting rid of Luke Skywalker. With his elimination, perhaps in a quick orbital strike, the Jedi will scatter, and most would surrender. I’ll execute the masters, certainly my parents as well, the knights and apprentices can be examined later, once the Jedi are neutralized finishing the Confederation will simply be a matter of sieges and capturing its leaders, and then I’ll be able to rest for a while, then the important work can begin.</p><p>The elevator ceased its descent and the door opened, and Caedus began to make his way to the hologram room. He was interrupted by the beeping buzz of the Anakin Solo’s inship audio comm system.</p><p>Sergeant Geran Yekan sat uneasily at his post, the bridge was orderly, no orders were shouted from the parapet above, and comm officers and astronavigators were absorbed into their computer screens, keeping the Solo steady and straight, as the Hapans were finally pounded into oblivion.</p><p>“Keep up the pressure on the smaller Battle Dragon on the left flank, keep the batteries firing!” He shouted into the comm, as turbolaser fire from the Solo fired directly at the Hapan flag ship.</p><p>“Sir! The Dragon Queen is still firing, I’ve never seen Hapan warships, fire in that synchronized a fashion”. Corporal Tellan, shouted.</p><p>“Their fleet is nearly surrounded, and they’ll break soon, we just to have keep up the pressure!” Yekan shouted back.</p><p>Glancing up from his post, the bridge crew of the Anakin Solo appeared strangely demoralized, lethargic, and almost passive, they still did their tasks, but the enthusiasm and camaraderie that had been present was gone…</p><p>Returning to his assignment, Yekan ordered loudly,</p><p>“Fire at coordinates, 7, 12, 23, 29”</p><p>Blasts of heavy fire struck the red painted ship on the Anakin Solo’s 11:30 degrees, it ought to have been enough of a concentrated barrage to overwhelm its shields and blast it to atoms, yet, the shields held. The shields held.</p><p>Yakan stared dumbstruck at his screen.</p><p>That isn’t possible, there is no way with that yield could the Hapan frigate have withstood that.</p><p>“Why wasn’t that ship destroyed?” Yakan yelled, loud enough it would have gotten him into trouble in just about any other circumstance.</p><p>“We don’t know sir, its still there, wait, wait its not firing, maybe its systems overloaded and its dead in space?” Corporal Tellan responded.</p><p>‘Turn the blasters, fire at the Dragon Queen again!” Yakan ordered.</p><p>Something isn’t right, I can feel, I feel like we’re losing, we’re losing.</p><p>Yakan stared at the window, the Hapan fleet was still standing. One of the smaller cruisers was destroyed, by Galactic Alliance bombers, and the ships adjacent to it, two medium sized battle dragons, simply moved sidewise towards each other, and closed the gap between them.</p><p>The Imperial fleet continued its barrage, and Bwua’tu’s fleet seemed unusually inactive.</p><p>There was a blurriness in the window, as if things were moving more slowly. What’s Lieutenant Ran, where is she?”</p><p>Yakan turned his head and saw her. That was reassuring, except, her expression was sour, her green face appearing uncomfortable, and skittish. She was usually in higher spirits. He turned his head again to see Ran, shaking at her post, her dark Duros eyes darting in all directions. She seemed agitated, antsy, nervous.</p><p>The Hapans were outlasting us. Somehow, they were going to win. Colonel Solo has left the bridge, has he, has he, abandoned us?</p><p>“Someone, someone get on the holocom, ask B’wuatu what he is waiting for?”</p><p>Ran shouted, yet her own voice sounded empty, pitiful even, like a squeaking hatchling. Raising her voice again, Ran shouted, “Call the damned imperials, ask them why they aren’t hitting as hard as we are!” It seemed almost…like the Imperials were simply hovering, looking at the screen, Seri Ran could see darts of blaster fire, back and forth, but none of the same intense barrages that the Alliance fleet was pounding, or being pounded with, she focused her eyes, but it still seemed…blurry.</p><p>The bridge crew didn’t seem enthused, they looked afraid, Yakan’s knees were shaking, and Tellan was jittery, and I feel…exhausted. Maybe, maybe it was that Battle Meditation Lord Caedus referred to? Some sort of arcane Jedi power, maybe, maybe Colonel Solo was going to his private chambers, maybe he was going to try and counter it somehow. He had always carried them through, and he’d do so, he’d do so. Or maybe…maybe he’d already given up, maybe he was going to negotiate with the Hapans.</p><p>The private holocomm room was sparse, not even a chair.</p><p>“Tenel Ka, you’ve fought valiantly today, you’ve also cost Alliance and Imperial forces dearly, but its pointless. Surrender now, and I will grant you a full pardon, I will also be taking custody of Allana”.</p><p>He stood, and waited, the message sent.</p><p>She would not respond immediately, of course, but he would let the bridge crew handle the mop up, sooner or later, she’d surrender to save her fleet, if not herself. She’d have to give up her pride, and her self-satisfied moral certitude, a heavy price to pay but she wouldn’t be a good Queen or a good Jedi, if she didn’t.</p><p>With her in captivity, I will get her to understand. She’ll still hate me, maybe. But if she knew, what I have done this for, she would understand, she might not…she’d likely not come to my side, but she would no longer be someone I have to eliminate and that would make it so much easier…</p><p>The comm system buzzed overhead, and Caedus’ turned his eyes above to the ceiling.</p><p>“My Lord, you better get here, the Hapans aren’t surrendering, and we are, we are exhausted, broken”.</p><p>It was Ran, her voice screeched over the comm, frightened and shocked.</p><p>“We’re going to win, we have the Hapans outnumbered, it’s almost over, I promise!” Caedus bellowed in response.</p><p>Battle meditation. Grand Master Skywalker. He’s trying to demoralize my men. Just my fortune, I have to deal with Luke Skywalker on the eve of my crowning victory.</p><p>Caedus got into a meditative position, and closed his eyes and taking a deep breath, prepared for the struggle that was to come.</p><p>The metaphysical eddies of the force were…they were not describable except through poor metaphor, they just were…. a part of the force itself, its very nature reflected and omnipresent in the universe, in every location, every being, every form of life, and all that was.</p><p>Around him, the eddies danced and moved back and forth, around, and back to him, as the bashing of plasma against shields of energy and reinforced durasteel echoed in the force, each and every action and movement, each and every emotion of every soldier forming the lake that was the force’s presence around them.</p><p>Drawing deeper, Caedus concentrated even more, focusing on the Hapan fleet, and its Queen.</p><p>Her presence was undaunted, and undeterred, despite the overwhelming quantitative disadvantage, her soldiers and crew alert and filled with passioned camaraderie, and enthusiasm, in spite of every loss and every blow. Their morale ought to have collapsed by now, they ought to have demanded their commander surrender. They ought to have broken and run.</p><p>Drawing on the force, and the power of the dark side Caedus concentrated on the Dragon Queen.</p><p>The power was extraordinary, he was pushing up a mountain, a mountain that just kept on rising, but that didn’t matter.</p><p>“Its over, surrender now and save yourselves”</p><p>The effects were close to nil at first, but Darth Caedus redoubled his efforts.</p><p>The power he was wielding was consuming and overwhelming, but the power he sensed stood over him like a great wave on Kamino’s stormy seas.</p><p>Caedus could not help but let a smirk appear on his lips.</p><p>“Uncle” You were foolish to waste yourself here, also do not you know too much shatterpoint makes you stumble dangerously close to the dark?</p><p>The wave he could see; growing and growing and growing did not reply, it just to grow larger, yet I can sense…anger. Vengeance…</p><p>Not from Tenel Ka, she remained within the wave, but she was serene, not a hint of emotion could be sensed in her, even as the women around her were filled with courage, and infinite resolve. Resolve that Caedus sought to undermine, with every whispered word, and gentle nudge, and every blow.</p><p>He also focused on his own fleet, and his own ship. The crew on the Anakin Solo’s bridge were either lethargic to the point of seeming near unconsciousness or despairing and seemingly in awe of what they were seeing across the viewscreen.</p><p>Caedus re oriented himself, and began to prod, into the maelstrom that was his Uncle’s presence in the Force.</p><p>A red headed woman was stabbed in her thigh, her futile rage and promise of vengeance echoing around the gloomy background.</p><p>“I watched her die, I stood over her triumphant. She was about to strike the killing blow, and at the last second I cast your son’s face over my own.”</p><p>“Your wife hesitated, just for a second and I killed her.”</p><p>“She was surprised, shocked, too afraid and too proud to even beg.”</p><p>“It was my greatest victory, I prevailed against a great predator, a hunter, a fighter, and killer. I prevailed over a mother, Ben’s mother.”</p><p>“Would you like to know Uncle; would you like to know what your wife promised?”</p><p>“She said that you’d win, you’d never let me get to your son.”</p><p>Caedus couldn’t help but laugh, as he maintained his concentration.</p><p>“I broke that empty headed boy, he sobbed for his mother, for you.”</p><p>It was so pitiful, I let him live. Maybe, yet he may still serve me, as an apprentice.</p><p>Faster than a nanosecond, Caedus’ concentration was broken. His head was searing, and it felt like heated durasteel was being repeatedly slammed into his brain. He raised his hand to grab a hold of the hologram projector, and stumbled on top of it, breathing heavily.</p><p>“Huh, huh, huh, huh, huhhh”</p><p>Caedus felt his lungs contracting, and so rose to leave. Stumbling to the door, the comm buzzed again.</p><p>“My Lord, please come to the bridge quickly!”</p><p>It was Yekan.</p><p>“What’s the situation Sergeant?” Caedus forced his vocal cords to say.</p><p>“The Hapans aren’t breaking, and our fleets are!” Yekan shouted with despair and anger in his voice.</p><p>Caedus hurried down the dimly lit corridor.</p><p>“Hold your composure sergeant, we’re going to win, their recalcitrance be damned!”</p><p>The automatic door to the bridge opened and Caedus hurried back to his seat on the bridge. The battle had not gone as planned. Looking at the view, the Hapan fleet was still fighting, and his own fleet had been decimated, wreckage and burning ships littered around the Anakin Solo, and the Hapan guns were not stopping, but kept on firing, in mutually supportive bursts in all directions. It had to…it had to have sustained over sixty percent losses now, any other fleet in any other circumstance would have surrendered or made a break to run, but Tenel Ka had not, despite the irreplaceable losses.</p><p>A warrior queen dies where she stands, if only I had been able to reason with her, if only I had time.</p><p>Looking at the window, the Hapan fleet was not getting any smaller, it seemed to remain constant despite the losses.</p><p>That is not right, there is something else going on…illusions. Force Illusions! Luke Skywalker! He tricked me! I had not seen, had not observed, he has been helping her remain fighting. The only way to break it would be to concentrate fire on the Dragon Queen, but Allana is on board. Maybe, if I order a concentrated barrage it will overwhelm her shields and Tenel Ka will no longer be able to rely on Skywalker’s illusions[MW1] [MW2] .</p><p>“Ran, patch me on the inter fleet comm” Caedus said cordially.</p><p>Yes sir, the female Duros replied quickly.</p><p>“This is Lord Caedus, target fire on the Hapan Battle Dragon Dragon Queen at my mark, my comm officer is transmitting coordinates.”</p><p>Hopefully it will be just en…. What in the name of Chaos?</p><p>“Sir! Another Hapan fleet just jumped out of hyperspace right behind the Seventh!”</p><p>Dozens of ships were directly in front of the Anakin Solo and they did not waste any time, a punishing barrage of green and red blaster fire followed as a greeting.</p><p>The Hapan home fleet, it must have been alerted before the battle.</p><p>“My Lord our shields are down, and they are sending Hapan fighters out now!”</p><p>“This is Darth Caedus, I am ordering a full retreat, rendezvous to Coruscant we’ll prevail another day.”</p><p>The navigation officer, Lieutenant Terra Danan punched in the coordinates as the Anakin Solo turned and jumped into hyperspace, with the rest of the fleet following.</p><p>“Bwua’tu’s fleet and the Imperials have retreated sir as well, we will rendezvous above Coruscant as ordered. Do you have any further orders?”</p><p>Lieutenant Ran asked?</p><p>“Not at this time, just get the Solo to Coruscant.”</p><p>With that, Darth Caedus left the bridge.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>15. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 13</p><p>Chapter 14</p><p>“Thank you, Master Luke, we could not have held on without you.”</p><p>Tenel Ka spoke warmly, her relief and gratitude smoldering across the mental link they shared.</p><p>“No gratitude is required; it would be a dereliction of my duty not to assist you even from here”. Luke said in response.</p><p>“I sense he is still alive, I’m sorry about that.”</p><p>Her mind was blank and silent for a moment, and then she replied.</p><p>“He lost a lot of ships, around half from what I have been told. It was a victory, Master Skywalker, we have weakened him and forced him into retreat. That isn’t something to look down at.”</p><p>“The fact is he still alive, limits the value of this victory, I apologize I was not able to increase its value to what it ought to have been.”</p><p>“You have no need to apologize, Master Skywalker.” Tenel Ka responded quickly. “He retreated with his fleet halved, we won a great victory thanks to you.”</p><p>“Not as great as it should have been, he ought to particles floating in space”.</p><p>“…I’m sure we’ll defeat him soon; I have faith that you’ll see us all through.”</p><p>With that, the telepathic link across thousands of light years was severed, and Luke Skywalker opened his eyes, to see his quarters, unlit, and alone. It was an austere room, a bed and nightstand across the floor, and his washer room on the other side, with the door to the hall of the ship behind him. He had closed the windows. He had closed them.</p><p>The blue swirls of hyperspace or the black void of realspace, they had been beautiful and wondrous, but now their just background noise. A distraction, and I do not have time for distractions, Mara did not have any. She focused and never failed.</p><p>Luke Skywalker stood up from his meditative position and looked around, the room was empty, and now felt colder than it had when he had begun to meditate.</p><p>I am summoning a Council Meeting.</p><p>Barely a few second later, every Jedi master acknowledged the message sent through the force, either with brief words or a mental nod.</p><p>The bed was simple, one blanket and a pillow. Just enough to do its job, austere as it should be.</p><p>Resisting the urge to lay down and sleep, Luke brushed a little dust off his robe and walked out his quarters without even a glance and the door automatically closed behind him and he did not even hear the sound.</p><p>The council meeting room was spacious, with a series of chairs aligned in a circle, and the crest of the order painted on the floor. Luke walked in, and the council stood up and greeted him with slight bows, their expressions veering from neutral and compliant, to the wide smirk that Saba held across her jaw. Han stood by the corner of the room, his arms folded across his chest, and his expression dismal, while Leia stood next to Saba. His sister looked sad, but calmer than she had in a while. Luke made eye contact with each and every Master, nodding briefly at Kyle who returned the gesture, and winking slightly at Kyp who barely restrained a slight grin. He locked eyes with Kenth and Corran who did not flinch or show any discernable emotion on their faces, or in the force.</p><p>Luke walked to the center of the room and his colleagues’ eyes followed his every step. Swallowing slightly, Luke spoke aloud.</p><p>“I have good news”.</p><p>Luke announced.</p><p>“With my assistance, Tenel Ka has badly mauled Jacen’s fleet and they have fled the Ktil system.”.</p><p>Sighing audibly, Luke continued.</p><p>“Unfortunately, Jacen survived the battle and appears to have been unharmed, so this is not over yet.”</p><p>Luke carefully observed his masters’ responses, Saba seemed to fidget, while Kyle was unable to conceal his disappointment, both on his face and in the force. For a few seconds, no one spoke, until Kenth raised his hand.</p><p>“What were Tenel Ka’s losses?” Kenth asked, in a tone that sounded both rote and genuinely curious.</p><p>“The Hapan Seventh fleet lost up to 80% of its ships, some may be repairable, but the Hapan losses were high.” Luke replied in a soft and paternal tone.</p><p>“It was only through the use of illusions and my concentrated application of Battle Meditation her fleet did not break or surrender, still Jacen’s forces suffered approximately fifty percent losses, across all three of his fleets.”</p><p>Corran spoke up, “That’s excellent news! Why aren’t you more excited, we have reduced his military strength dramatically, he can’t recover from those losses!”</p><p>“Which we Corran?” “It was me, me and Tenel Ka!” Luke snapped back.</p><p>Corran was silent for a moment, and then quickly apologized, “I’m sorry Master, I didn’t mean to take undue credit”.</p><p>That was probably harsher than needed.</p><p>“I apologize, my tone was too aggressive.” Luke said in the smoothest voice he could muster.</p><p>Corran sat down, his lip visibly quivering from the reprimand.</p><p>“To answer your question, I am not as excited as I might be, because Jacen Solo escaped. He was at the front, the lead, at the Battle of the Ktil System, he ought to have died in the fighting, but he has escaped again.”</p><p>Corran looked askance, clearly shaken by his reprimand.</p><p>I need to sleep; I shouldn’t be acting so irritable.</p><p> </p><p>Kenth opened his mouth to speak, and with a brief nod, Luke let him do so.</p><p>“I think…Master Skywalker’s restrained response to this victory is appropriate, Jacen Solo is not dead, and he still holds numerical superiority over the Jedi Coalition. So long as he remains alive, we will never end this conflict.”</p><p>Kyp stroked his chin, clearly in deeper thought than he usually spent.</p><p>“Master Hamner, I don’t see why we can’t whittle Jacen down. He can’t tolerate losses eventually, the Imperials will sue for peace, or his supporters in the core will abandon him.”</p><p>Kyp spoke confidently, as though galactic war strategy was his specific area of his expertise.</p><p>“In the long run, Kyp, maybe but we can’t sustain those losses. Our allies cannot sustain those losses. We must deal with Caedus personally, that is the most prudent way to end the conflict.” Hamner said in response, his expression dripping with repressed exasperation, at Kyp or the overall situation, Luke did not bother seeking to discover.</p><p>The assembled masters fidgeted and grimaced uncomfortably. This was not going to be a good meeting.</p><p>“Master Skywalker, I say we seize the initiative and strike now, maybe we should send a team to Coruscant, and try to ambush Jacen on his arrival.” Kyle pulsated enthusiasm…and regret in the force, and that was clear on his face as well.</p><p>“You would die Kyle, and I can’t lose anymore Masters, I’m sorry.”</p><p>Jacen is too strong, too crafty, he will likely be prepared this time.</p><p>Leia spoke up, and Han turned to face the center of the room as she did.</p><p>“Speaking of Coruscant, what’s the situation there?”</p><p>Leia asked, not to a specific Jedi present but anyone who might answer.</p><p>“Nothing of note to report. The planet remains firmly in Jacen’s hands. We don’t really have any operatives or contacts there anymore. Not after Ben was captured.”</p><p>Hamner’s reply clearly did not satisfy Leia.</p><p>I’ll have to ask her what she wants to hear later.</p><p>“As best we can tell” Hamner continued.</p><p>“The planet remains firmly under Jacen’s thumb, its populace is generally supportive of Jacen’s government, and he is quite popular especially with its wealthier and more connected citizens.”</p><p>Hamner continued, in a monotone way that didn’t leave much room for speculation or excitement.</p><p>“What is our plan?” Kyp asked, his brow narrowing at Luke.</p><p>“What is the point of all these meetings? Why don’t we just act already?”</p><p>Kyp was now more distraught than he had been two minutes ago.</p><p>I had hoped he had learned, and taught himself patience in the Yuuzhan Vong war, I suppose not all lessons remain.</p><p>“Kyp we are conducting this meeting to calmly and dispassionately evaluate the situation as it stands. We must now allow our impatience to overcome our judgement, I would have hoped you had learned that decades ago.”</p><p>“I apologize Master, I’m…we’re all frustrated. Nothing seems to work, the longer this war goes on the less peace we all have.” Kyp replied, clearly contrite.</p><p>“I know, I know, this war has undermined more than our government and families, it has undermined our adherence to the code. Which is why we must, we must retain our focus.” Kenth replied in a gentler tone than usual.</p><p>I will have to speak to Kyp, Jaina’s death must be gnawing at him.</p><p>“Thank you, Master Hamner, Kyp I suggest you get some rest and meditate for a while, it would serve you well.”</p><p>Luke said in a soft yet commanding tone. Kyp was visibly ashamed and stammered “Yes, yes Master Skywalker, I apologize.”</p><p>He then left the room and closed the door behind him.</p><p>He should have handled himself better.</p><p>“Jacen can rebuild his fleets, and he will have no trouble getting new recruits.”</p><p>Luke said in an authoritative voice as the council nodded compliantly.</p><p>“We will continue our strategy of harassment and attacking Galactic Alliance outposts and isolated detachments. We will not allow Jacen’s fleets a seconds’ reprieve.”</p><p>The council members looked at him with a mixture of reluctant agreement and melancholy. Leia’s lip was quivering, and she was probably a bad word away from bursting into tears.</p><p>“So, you just want us to play at being the Rebel Alliance again?” Leia asked, her question was polite but there was a strong undercurrent of frustration in her voice.</p><p>“We have allies who can fight Jacen conventionally, why are we ignoring them?” “Why aren’t we working more closely with them?” She continued, barely restraining herself.</p><p>“You know why. If we align ourselves too closely to the Confederation, we will have condoned their secession. We need to avoid becoming pro Confederate partisans, so that when Jacen is dealt with, we can assist all governments in negotiating, having officially not been aligned to any of the belligerents”.</p><p>Kenth replied, his arms crossed across his chest, as if he were lecturing apprentices on proper etiquette in the classroom. He turned his eyes to Luke, and Luke nodded back at him.</p><p>“Kenth speaks truthfully Leia, I know you don’t like it, but we don’t have the means to win this war conventionally, except that is to deal with Jacen and now that Jaina is dead, we won’t have another opportunity for some time”.</p><p>I could…</p><p>Luke quickly banished the thought.</p><p>“Tenel Ka’s victory at Ktil was not without its costs, her fleet suffered irreparable losses, nearly ninety percent of the Seventh Fleet was destroyed in the battle before reinforcements came. Jacen would have won had I not been using Battle Meditation for the past 20 standard hours.”</p><p>Part of the reason I have not slept in a week.</p><p>“My strategy is to eventually force Jacen’s hand, and to provoke him into some sort of trap. In which we can destroy him. But we can’t do that, not while he sits on Coruscant, and retains the loyalty of most of the Galactic Alliance, and is allied with the Imperials.”</p><p>The council looked a mixture of hopeful and skeptical, and no one raised a hand or moved their mouth to ask a question.</p><p>“I know its not glorious, its not cathartic, its painful, unrewarding, and unpleasant. But its how we are going to win this war, and defeat Darth Caedus. Eventually we will force him to choose, remain on Coruscant while his war machine slowly is broken down, and risk losing his support, or attack and destroy us in one final push.”</p><p>Luke sighed, as the council nodded their heads in respectful deference. Though Kyp and Kyle shot each other frustrated looks, and Luke could sense their simmering anger and impatience in the force. Saba stared at both, and bared her teeth, and uttered a guttural snarl.</p><p>Thankfully, my council is wise and rational.</p><p>Surveying the council, eyes by eyes, Luke rose his voice and announced, “This council meeting is finished.”</p><p>The Masters nodded and bowed slightly in deference and began to filter out of the small room. Han had already opened the door and was leaving, as was the Hapan attache…Gedrell wasn’t it? It didn’t matter.</p><p>“Leia, I need to speak to you."</p><p>"Kyp, I need to speak to you as well."</p><p>"As you command Master". Kyp replied mind to mind.</p><p>Both Jedi turned to face him and staid their feet.</p><p>“Leia, I’ll speak to you first. Master Durron, wait outside.”</p><p>“As you command, Master Skywalker”</p><p>Kyp nodded and briskly strolled out of the room. Leia remained.</p><p>Leia stood uneasily in front of him, her posture uncertain. Luke could sense she was hesitant whether to act as if she was speaking to her brother, or her Jedi master.</p><p>“You asked about the situation on Coruscant?” Luke started.</p><p>“All we know is that Ben is still in captivity, and Shevu is dead.”</p><p>Leia sighed, frustrated at the lack of anything more substantial.</p><p>“Surely we still have friends in government. Senators, Admirals? Coruscant has a population of trillions, we ought to know more about what is going on there. Its absurd our intelligence is so poor!”</p><p>“How can we end this war, how can we…deal with Jacen if we only rely on whatever inklings the Force gives us?” Leia asked with wide open eyes, eyes that then tilted down to the floor.</p><p>Lue shook his head and glanced at the wall.</p><p>“Luke, the rebel alliance had better intelligence, even before you joined, don’t tell me the Galactic Alliance Guard is more competent than the ISB.”</p><p>‘I wouldn’t say they’re more or less competent overall, they’re just a lot better at preventing intel leaks than the Imperials were.”</p><p>“Damnation!” Leia cried, clearly frustrated.</p><p>“If we had contacts, knew what was going on, what the situation on the ground was, it might give us an edge, an opening, something of value!”</p><p>Leia began to pace from the left to right and back again.</p><p>“How are we at such a disadvantage?” Leia intoned frustratedly.</p><p>“We don’t have any government resources; you know that I know that. I wish things were different. But you’re going to trust my judgement and put your complaints aside.”</p><p>Come on Leia, just trust me, stop giving yourself more grief.</p><p>Leia nodded in obeisance and did not reply to the command. A brief moment passed…</p><p>“Is there anything else, we need to talk about Luke?” Leia asked, her eyes wide. Luke could sense she was uneasy, and that she was not at peace, not at all.</p><p>“I need you to trust that I will get us through this. No matter what your doubts are.”</p><p>Forty years! You should know the force bends inevitably towards the light.</p><p>Leia’s lips twirled and Luke noticed she ground her teeth, her eyes watered, and her mouth quivered.</p><p>“I’m sorry Luke, I apologize if I ever questioned your judgement or undermined your authority. I won’t let it happen again.”</p><p>Luke hugged her and cupped her face and looked directly into her eyes.</p><p>“Thank you, Leia. I know you have been suffering. I want it to end. Which is why you need to trust me.”</p><p>Leia burrowed her face in his shoulder and for a moment, they simply rested together.</p><p>“I, I need to go check on Han.”</p><p>Leia said, breaking the silent solace between them.</p><p>“I’m always here, if you need me.”</p><p>Luke smiled and she walked out the door. As she walked out, Kyp Durron walked in, neither so much as glanced at the other, Leia was looking at the floor, as she left the conference room, and Durron’s eyes were fixated on Luke, as if his sister were not there at all.</p><p>“Master Skywalker”.</p><p>His posture was formal, his hand at his lightsaber hilt, and his other hand at his side.</p><p>“Kyp, I know your frustrated, I know you cared a lot about Jaina. I understand your desire for aggressive action, but I will not accept this. You will not question me in front of the rest of the masters again? Am I clear?”</p><p>Luke spoke sternly, firmly, but without anger.</p><p>“May I speak openly, Master Skywalker?” Kyp asked, his tone less than appropriately deferential.</p><p>“Yes, if you wish.” Luke responded softly.</p><p>“This is unsustainable.”</p><p>Kyp moved his feet closer together and moved crossed his arms around his chest.</p><p>“How long are we going to wait around like this?”</p><p>Didn’t you pay attention, we aren’t waiting.</p><p>“We don’t do anything. Why aren’t we taking the fight to Jacen, why are we letting our allies take the brunt of the losses?” Kyp’s eyes narrowed.</p><p>Clearly you still haven’t learned the third line of the Jedi Code.</p><p>“As I said, Kyp I intend to lure Jacen out, this isn’t up for discussion.”</p><p>Luke stated plainly.</p><p>“What if he never leaves Coruscant, what if he doesn’t go on the attack again? Why should he, he can wear down his enemies through attrition, and then bring the entire Galactic Alliance to hunt us down. I apologize for my disrespect Master Luke, but your plan is giving Darth Caedus the victory.”</p><p>Kyp’s heart rate was rising, and so was his breathing.</p><p>Your nervous, too.</p><p>“I appreciate your candor, Master Durron. What would you have me do? What plans do you have that are better than mine? If you have one, speak and I will consider it.”</p><p>Kyp stroked his hair, and then pursed his lips.</p><p>“We understand, I understand your concerns about facing him. Master Luke. Why not send a team of Masters, not knights and Masters, as you did with Master Katarn. Send me, Katarn, and perhaps Master Sabatyne. We can defeat him. He might be able to kill one of us, but three or four Masters? We could end the war. Sure…a few of us might die. By Chaos, if it prevents further bloodshed then we should eliminate Caedus quickly, rather than play Catch the Rancor’s Tail, for Force knows how much longer!”</p><p>Its possible, but I will be the one to take him down, I don’t want anyone else to do it.</p><p>“No, and that is my final word. Do not raise this matter again. You are dismissed, Master Durron.”</p><p>Kyp snarled and stomped out of the room. He would not let that go.</p><p>I need to meditate again, soon.</p>
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